Louisville groups prepare backup plans for summer camps amid pandemic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville organizations are coming up with contingency plans for summer camp programs that are fast approaching.

As kids have been isolated and at home from school for weeks, the CEO of the YMCA of Greater Louisville said it is all the more important that the Y offers some kind of summer camp option.

“As we look at our summer programs that we consider to be critical experiences — should the restrictions be lifted and we begin to reconnect with one another — the physical, social and emotional learning parts are all very important to us," Steve Tarver said. "So we think these will be critical for this summer."

The YMCA of Greater Louisville recently sent out emails to current Y members urging parents to sign children up now for camp. Tarver said having an estimated headcount will help them prepare for just how many adjustments they’ll need to make to keep everyone safe in smaller groups for social distancing.

“We will change some of our tactical responses, as you might expect, as you should expect," he said. "And we will continue to hold safety in a very high regard."

The Y is using its no-risk enrollment policy for any families that sign up. So if parents decide they do not want their children to participate or if camps have to be altered or closed, then they will receive a full credit for the amount paid.

The YMCA of Greater Louisville is coordinating with the YMCA of the USA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of these summer plans. Tarver hopes some guidelines will be released by the end of the week to help the Y in its preparations.

To sign up for the YMCA’s summer program, click here.

“The Y has been around for 167 years. We’ve been through things that have changed our environments. This is one of the bigger ones that we’ve ever seen certainly,” Tarver said about the pandemic. “Our mission, though, stays the same. It’s the core, and that’s to help people grow in spirit, mind and body.”

The Cabbage Patch Settlement, another Louisville group that has provided after school and summer programs for children for more than 100 years, plans to still offer some kind of summer activities this year.

Once Jefferson County Public Schools shut down and moved to NTI days, the Cabbage Patch also shut its doors. However, staff then took on case loads of around a dozen families to keep in touch with and to provide any needed help or services.

“I think the No. 1 thing this entire thing has taught us is that relationships are the most important thing that we do," said Mayghin Leveine, the director of programs for the Cabbage Patch Settlement House. "It’s not about all the activities. It’s calling the kid and letting them spill their entire week. It’s calling the parent and realizing you’re the first adult they’ve talk to in five days."

With that in mind, the group is trying to make sure that summer programs are available for kids. Leveine said they are taking their cues from Gov. Andy Beshear as they come up with contingencies and safety guidelines. While having in-person camps would be their ideal option, they know that’s not possible with the new reality everyone faces. So, putting safety as the top priority, the staff is coming up with ideas how to keep any group camps smaller to allow for social distancing.

And being a smaller organization, it might actually work out in their favor.

“The kind of camps we generally do are actually pretty reasonable for summer options, because we’re looking at 10-12 kids at a time with a few staff members,” Leveine said. “So we’re really being able to do small group activities.”

A motto the Cabbage Patch staff shares is: improvise, modify, adjust. And that could not be more true now. So the Cabbage Patch is in weekly meetings with other local groups that also provide services to children in order to collaborate and share ideas.

“It’s not just one person or one group,” Leveine said. “Everyone is focused on making sure we’re doing what’s best for kids come this summer. We love our families, and we love our community, and we are doing our best to make sure we can help accommodate what you need for your children this summer.”