Yuma Family YMCA kicking off summer camp program for kids ages 5-12
News 11's Adonis Albright speaks with the center about how they're looking to bridge the gap in kids' education
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Yuma Family YMCA is getting ready to kick off its nine-week summer camp program for kids ages 5 to 12 on June 1. Along with it comes many opportunities for students to bridge the education gap they've experienced during the pandemic.
“We offer full service child care. During the summer, we’re also including gap curriculum incorporating games and educational pieces - literacy - into our program throughout the day to help those kids who may have been a little bit behind this past school year", said Annie Clary, the Executive Director of the YMCA.
The program runs Monday through Friday starting at 6:30 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. and provides breakfast, lunch, and snacks for kids throughout the day. This will be the first summer camp since the COVID-19 pandemic halted similar summer camps across the globe.
“It’s just a safe place for kids to come, have fun experiences, do a lot of STEM work and just really stay engaged over the summer.”
According to Erendyra Pera, the Child Care Director with the YMCA, reading comprehension is one of the main problem areas for kids.
“A lot of the reading has to do with - they don’t know exactly how to pronounce the words. Some of them, because they have a speech impediment, they have that delay as well. It can also be because of their accent. When they’re home, some of their parents are Hispanic. So they speak Spanish or whatever language that they speak, so it does delay their English when they’re trying to read or speak it", said Perea.
The camp requires face masks for children and staff, but YMCA will reevaluate as the program goes on throughout the summer. In addition, the center will be using a curriculum from the United Way of Yuma County, a local non-profit organization, which incorporates literacy and other fun activities for kids.
“We’re incorporating a new program called ‘My Y Journey,’ so every week they’re going to have different character values that they want to achieve. So if they’re sharing, if they’re caring, at the end of the week we’re going to have a big ceremony and included in that is our reading challenge. So we want our kids to read 20 minutes a day, so we have a huge reading area where we’re going to encourage all kids to do that."
Financial assistance is available for parents who may be concerned about the cost. To find out more, you can contact the YMCA through their Facebook page or give them a call at (928) 317-0522. You can also send an email to annieclary@vosymca.org.
