Program will be offered on a sliding scale based on income
The city of Healdsburg, in collaboration with nonprofit Corazón Healdsburg and the Healdsburg Unified School District (HUSD), is launching a distance learning care program starting Aug. 19 for kids to have a safe and structured place to do online learning and participate in enrichment activities after virtual school.
“This is a modified version of a care program that we started this summer in response to helping working parents get back to work. As COVID set in and things started to shut down and then open again we saw a need for families to be able to have their kids in a program that would provide a safe environment and nurturing activities,” said Healdsburg Community Services Director, Mark Themig.
The program, called “Camp Healdsburg Distance Learning Care,” will run from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Healdsburg Community Center and will be offered at a sliding fee scale based on income.
“The sliding scale starts at $200 per week per student and goes down to be fully subsidized, in other words, there is no cost. There is also a 15% discount for a second or third sibling,” Themig said. He said the goal is to serve everyone and not turn away anyone.
The fee structure is as follows:
● $200 per week – total annual household income of $150K or more
● $150 per week – total annual household income of $100K to $150K
● $100 per week – total annual household income of $75K to $100K
● $50 per week – total annual household income of $75K or below
Themig said there was a significant need in the city for some sort of summer camp and the continued need for a program became apparent when schools announced they were returning to distance learning.
Since the city is the provider of the after school programs for HUSD, it was easy to collaborate for the fall program since they already had that relationship.
“We started talking with the district early on, it was probably June or July, about what the fall might look like and what their needs might be,” Themig said. “It will be focused on the distance learning component and it is going to be more structured than it was in the summer. There would be distance learning from 8 a.m to 2 p.m. and following that there will be a more traditional after-chool program, which will include homework help and enrichment activities.”
The program is being funded by an After School Education & Safety (ASES) grant and by community donations and a generous $50,000 match pledge from the Carson and Kathy Block family.
The goal was to raise $120,000 for the program and the city was able to reach their goal through an additional donation and a pledge.
“We are so blessed as a community,” said Corazón Healdsburg CEO, Ariel Kelley. “I can’t even believe the generosity of the community when they step up in such big ways.”
Kelley said she is excited to be partnering with the district and the city.
“We are excited to be partnering with the city and the district to make sure that kids who need a safe place to be for distance learning have that support, and we know that there are number of families in our community who are really stuck right now because the schools are doing distance learning and the kids aren’t going school and the parents need to be able to go to work to make ends meet,” Kelley said.
COVID precautions
Due to the need to maintain stable student cohorts, camp registration options will be offered in monthly sessions. Session one is Aug. 19 – Sept. 25. Session two is Sept. 28 – Oct. 30. Session three is Nov. 2 – Nov. 20 and session four is Nov. 20 to Dec. 18.
Sessions two to four are tentative for the time being and will be confirmed based on the district’s schedule this fall. Sessions will be limited to 12 students per session and groups will not be allowed to co-mingle.
Participants and staff will undergo a health screening upon arrival each day and facial coverings will be required. Thorough and frequent hand washing will be practiced throughout the day and each camp group will be assigned a bathroom to use. Camp facilities will be meticulously cleaned at the end of each day and frequently touched surfaces will be wiped down multiple times during the day.
To sign up, call the city at 707-431-3301. For more information about the program, visit, https://www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us/694/Camp-HBG-20?fbclid=IwAR0e6KcPTWpv8w7SoYnhIerUQ27CkCFbBKUc2Rq43aRQlZz-YZPUoVKTkXk.
