DENVER (KDVR) — New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention saying summer camps will be able to open for in-person activities this year has many parents in Colorado wondering whether they should send their kids or hold them back for another season.
The people who run ReSchool Colorado provide resources for parents looking for in-person or virtual summer camp options.
They say there are currently three camps of parents in Colorado: Those who are completely comfortable sending their kids in person, parents who are on the fence about it, but want to get their kids outdoors more — and then there’s a group of parents who feel wary about sending their kids until they’re completely vaccinated.
“I’m encouraged, because for kids at least I feel like we’re in a better place this year than we were a year ago. We’ve learned a lot. A lot of people have been vaccinated. So I feel like there are going to be opportunities to kids that were not available last Summer,” said Amy Anderson, Managing Director at ReSchool Colorado.
The problem right now, according to experts, is that the pandemic remains unpredictable.
The CDC says kids can return to summer camp with specific guidelines put in place, including suggestions like: creating cohorts (with at least three feet of social distancing between kids in each cohort).
The guidance goes on to say that camps must continue mask-wearing measures even long after employees have received their full vaccinations.
Art in the Park in Greenwood Village plans to return in-person this summer, but on a scaled back level.
“Just to keep everything safe because we don’t want to go crazy and just dive back into where we used to have 30 kids at one time. Now we have three different sessions throughout the day with ten kids. So we’re still keeping numbers low, just making sure everybody is safe even though we’re trying to get back to normal, but we still want to create that safe environment,” said Lauren Brant with the Curtis Center for the Arts.
If you’re interested in registering your kids for Art in the Park, click here.
For a closer look at the CDC’s new guidelines, click here.