Boys and Girls Club of Kingston and Area set to deliver summer camps

The Boys and Girls Club of Kingston and Area (BGCK), in partnership with the City of Kingston, will be operating summer camps by the end of June.

BGCK announced the summer camps on Friday, Jun. 19, 2020, and said that their authorized and licensed summer camps will be open to children aged six to 12, with a limited amount of spaces for those aged four to five at select BGCK sites. The camps will operate at the following locations:

• Boys and Girls Club West End Hub
• Rideau Heights Community Centre
• BGCK Central Hub (located in the Robert Meek Community Youth Centre)
• INVISTA Centre
• Another location yet to be confirmed

According to BGCK, 248 camp spaces will be available each week, however, those numbers may increase if other locations become available and there is a demand and sufficient resources.

“We are excited to be able to support families with day camp opportunities as they return to work,” said Sara Gervais, Supervisor of Programs for the BGCK. “We know the demand is high, so we are trying to find ways to provide additional camp spaces to serve as many families as possible during this unprecedented time. That is why we will set up camps across Kingston in multiple locations.”

Due to the province’s new regulations with regard to COVID-19, the capacity of the summer camps will be greatly reduced compared to previous years. The West End Hub and the INVISTA Centre will serve as the largest sites for this year’s camps, and camp groups will be composed of eight children and two staff members. These groups will not be allowed to mix with other camp groups during the day.

“We are fortunate to have been delivering an Emergency Childcare Center in partnership with the City of Kingston for the past few months. We have been able to adopt the best practices to keep children, staff and families safe, in accordance to Public Health’s health and safety directives,” said Tony Gargaro, Director of Operations of the Boys and Girls Club, noting that this year’s summer camps will follow the same guidelines.

Camp registration will only occur online and will open on Monday, Jun. 22, 2020 at 9 a.m. For more information or to register, click here.