As school begins, YMCA of the Triangle sets up online learning hubs across region for kids

The first day of school this week looked like no other. Instead of sending our kids off to school, parents sent them back up to their bedrooms or the kitchen table to start their school year online.

But for one-third of parents, according to a recent survey, keeping kids at home to start the school year isn't an option. Some 32% of parents are not able to work remotely, the WalletHub survey said. Many are scrambling to find arrangements for their children, whether that's a neighbor, grandma or child care center.

The YMCA, Keith tells me, hosted 2,000 kids a day at camps this summer. And while there were a few cases of COVID-19, there were no issues of community spread. "Which is the real challenge," she added. "We feel really confident in our ability to keep kids safe as we move forward."

The Y's summer programs, which ended last week, included a variety of efforts to keep kid safe and ward off transmission of the coronavirus. Children were placed in groups of 10 with one counselor and, they didn't mix with other groups. The Y took the temperature of all counselors and campers. Counselors were required to wear masks while inside and, if social distancing wasn't possible, outside. And kids over the age of 11 also were required to wear masks when they couldn't maintain a distance of six feet from others.

"We have been running care since March," Keith said ."We've served 2,000 students a day in camp programs over the summer and have done it with a record of success. We've followed all the guidance and instructions [from health authorities and the YMCA] very closely and have been able to keep kids and staff safe."

The centers will open on Aug. 24 and are scheduled to run through at least the end of October. Wake County schools has announced that kids won't return to the classroom until at least Oct. 22.

The program is designed for kids in kindergarten to eighth grade. The YMCA can support both kids in Wake County's Virtual Academy or in the Plan B Transition from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m, Monday through Friday. Families can purchase after care from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

The centers are located at YMCA locations, churches and other spaces in Wake, Johnston, Lee, Durham and Orange counties.

"It's been pretty remarkable how the community is stepping up to ensure families have places to send their children so they can work," Keith said.

You can reserve your child's spot by the day. "You can choose the number of days you want each week," Keith said. "If you're a nurse or a firefighter, schedules change. You work two or three day in a row shifts. We can accommodate that." The YMCA also is flexible and can work with parents who have custody arrangements.

The school-year programs will follow many of the same safety measures in place during the summer, but there will be some differences too.

To further contain the spread, instead of children being grouped based by age, they'll be grouped based on families and schools. That means siblings will remain together, and the YMCA will attempt to pair children from the same school together. Groups will remain small — 10 to 12 kids each. Any interaction outside that small group will be limited.

The YMCA will continue to take the temperature of staff and children daily. Everybody, including children of all ages, will be required to wear masks inside and, if social distancing isn't possible, outside.

The YMCA is hiring for a couple of positions now.

People qualified for the Scholarship Support Center specialist position include older college students studying education, retired teachers or stay-at-home moms who want to earn some extra income. They'll be managing remote learning and supporting students in their school work.

It's also looking for Scholarship Support Center counselors, who can be as young as age 16. Younger college students and high school students may be a great fit for these roles. "We're working with the school system to offer a work-study program for high school students," Keith said. "Many of them have community service hour requirements that they need to meet, and we're happy to accommodate that."

That's a bigger question for state and local officials making decisions about what can open and when as they monitor COVID-19 numbers and spread, but Keith said the YMCA's school-year programs and others like it are very different from what happens in a school building.

Instead of large groups of children mixing or interacting in crowded classrooms and hallways, students will remain with their small groups only, which will include groups of siblings, helping to limit the spread of the illness. And the YMCA also doesn't have to worry about other logistics.

"The number of logistics we have to manage are smaller," she said. "We don't have to worry about transportation. We don't have to open a cafeteria. We have a lot more flexibility in things like grouping. We can keep the class size small and can keep siblings and mixed age groups together."

Children will be involved in the online lessons and live instruction that are assigned through their individual schools. Specialists will be on hand to support kids as they need it. And that's another reason why groups will include a variety of ages. A room full of kindergartners will need much more support than a room that includes a mix of ages — up to middle school.

In Wake County, school schedules look pretty robust, especially once these first two weeks of orientation are complete. But Keith said that kids will get to spend time outside and take part in other educational and fun activities when they are done with their school work.

"We think it will be important for them to have some brain breaks and time outside," she said. "We'll see what time allows for. It will take some learning on our part to manage all the different schedules because every school has a different schedule. But it's important that kids have opportunities to step away from their screens."

It's worth noting that one of the locations is Camp Kanata, the popular overnight and summer day camp in Wake Forest.

"In between your school work, you go on a hike, go shoot some archery or go fishing," Keith said.

The program costs $28 a day (with a discount for members), and scholarships and assistance are available. "We know that no one was anticipating paying for child care all year," she said. "And so we encourage families to reach out."

Keith said YMCA is working with school officials to ensure that kids who qualify for free or reduced price lunches also will get what they need.

Keith said there is plenty for kids and families at the moment, and that the program will expand as needed.

"Most of us are seeing demand is around one-third of our capacity right now, and it's creeping up very slowly," she said of the YMCA and the other Families and Schools Together partners. "We anticipate that some families are waiting to see what the school system's long game is. How long are we really going to be out of school? ... As families get through these first few weeks, they are going to remember how hard it is and they are watching to see if we can keep kids safe."