Camp opens for health workers’ kids

LITTLE ROCK — The Little Rock School District on Monday opened up a second “day camp” for the elementary school-age children of health care workers — this one at Terry Elementary School at Mara Lynn and Shackleford roads.

Mike Poore, school district superintendent, said about 15 children of employees from the Arkansas Heart Hospital participated on the first day of the camp that is being offered at no cost to the hospital workers during the covid-19 pandemic.

Poore said he expects as many as 50 children to enroll at the site that is being staffed by school district employees — including teachers, teacher aides, nurses, security officers and food service staff. Community volunteers are also helping in the program that includes an academic component.

The Little Rock district opened its first day camp April 20 at Pulaski Heights Elementary and Middle schools for the employees at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

The Pulaski Heights site that is open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. is serving 60 to 70 children a day, Poore said.

The day camps are open to children of health care workers regardless of whether the children actually attend Little Rock School District schools.

School buildings in the district and across the state have been closed since at least March 17 to in-person instruction. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has ordered the schools to be closed through the end of this school year in an effort to slow the spread of the contagious and potentially fatal covid-19 virus.