New Hope for Families offers social distance and fun for children at Summer Camp 2020
Bloomington, Ind. — Although parts of our community remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are families with school-aged children that need childcare over summer break, now more than ever.
New Hope for Families provides year-round top-tier nationally-accredited childcare and pre-K education through The Nest at New Hope; but the families in our shelter need childcare and educational programming for their school-aged children during the summer, as well. To meet that need, New Hope for Families has created an on-site summer camp. We are delighted to announce that we have recruited an outstanding Summer Camp 2020 team, and they are having a blast with the kids we serve!
What: Summer Camp 2020
When: Weekdays starting Monday, June 8, while MCCSC is on summer break
Where: New Hope for Families
Who: School-aged children (approximately 10-12 kids total); participation limited to children of families in emergency shelter Why: Access to good quality summer camps benefits children and their families. For families experiencing homelessness, this access is especially important.
“Experiencing homelessness is stressful for families, and can be traumatic for children. When we provide a fun, engaging summer camp, we help alleviate the stress on both parents and kids,” said Chase Techentin, shelter director at New Hope for Families. “Our goal is to give kids a fun summer experience and empower parents to obtain employment and housing.”
Summer enrichment programming is essential for children to mitigate the loss of learning outside of the school setting, and during these anxious times, children impacted by homelessness require access to additional social support from dedicated adults and their peers. By offering an on-site program, we are able to tailor activities to the needs of the children present, helping them navigate through the multiple crises they are experiencing.
For parents, access to summer camps can directly impact their ability to gain or maintain employment. As we move into the summer, many parents are being asked to return to work, but they might not be able to without adequate care for their school-aged children. If families do not have adequate childcare, parents are at risk of losing employment.
Even in the best of times, it can be very difficult and expensive to secure space in summer camps unless families have planned and budgeted very carefully. By offering free on-site programming for the families in our shelter, we ensure parents have the assistance they need and can feel safe in the knowledge that their children are being well cared for.
How: To best serve our families in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Summer Camp 2020 takes place largely on-site at New Hope, maintaining safe social distance, while offering occasional educational experiences throughout Bloomington in small groups.
“Our camp is flexible, so parents can easily enroll when they need childcare,” Techentin added, “And the groups of children are small enough to shield them from the pandemic.”
This program prioritizes parents who need childcare so they can work, but it will also provide care for children with parents who are disabled or unable to work.
Lunches for our campers are supplied by Community Kitchen of Monroe County. Funding for Summer Camp 2020 is provided by United Way of Monroe County and donors like you.