News 11’s Adonis Albright speaks to the center about how they intend to fill the child-rearing void
YUMA, Arizona (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma Family YMCA is preparing to launch their nine-week summer camp program on June 1 for children ages 5 to 12 they experienced during the pandemic.
“We offer childcare with a comprehensive range of services. During the summer we are also adding the Gap curriculum, which includes games and classroom materials – literacy – in our program throughout the day to help the children who may have been lagging behind over the past school year, “said Annie Clary, General Manager of the YMCA.
The program runs from Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. and runs until 3:00 p.m. It offers breakfast, lunch, and snacks for children throughout the day. This will be the first summer camp since the COVID-19 pandemic stopped similar summer camps around the world.
“It’s just a safe place for kids to have fun, do a lot of STEM work, and really stay busy through the summer.”
According to Erendyra Pera, director of childcare at YMCA, reading comprehension is one of the main problem areas for children.
“A lot of the reading has to do with it – they don’t know exactly how to pronounce the words. Some of them also have this delay because they have a speech impediment. It could also be due to her accent. When they are at home, some of their parents are Hispanic. So they speak Spanish or any other language they speak. This delays their English when they try to read or speak it, “Perea said.
The camp requires face masks for children and staff, but the YMCA will be reassessed if the program runs throughout the summer. In addition, the center will use a curriculum from the United Way of Yuma County, a local nonprofit organization that includes literacy and other fun activities for children.
“We’re adding a new program called ‘My Y Journey’ so that each week they have different character values that they want to achieve. So if they share, if they worry, we’re going to have a big ceremony at the end of the week and that will include our reading challenge. We want our children to read for 20 minutes a day. So we have a huge reading area where we will encourage all children to do so. “
Financial assistance is provided to parents who may be concerned about the cost. To learn more, you can contact the YMCA through their Facebook page or call them at (928) 317-0522. You can also send an email to [email protected].
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