Columbia summer programs look for ways to engage kids during COVID-19 pandemic

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Students in Columbia and across Missouri have been out of the classroom since March. Now with summer in full swing, local summer camp programs are looking for ways to safely engage kids.

The Columbia Parks and Recreation Department would normally have started its CoMo Kidz Camp at the beginning of June, but the camp was pushed back in part because of health department orders.

Department recreation services manager Erika Coffman said the staff has been working with the health department to put together programing in a responsible way while trying to meet kids' needs.

The first day of the program is now scheduled for June 22. To limit group sizes, only 70 kids will be allowed per session, down from about 100 students in years past.

Coffman said the group will be split into three smaller cohorts with dedicated staff for those groups

"We're going to do the best we can," Coffman said. "Safety is the first and foremost for us and so we will modify as we go along as need be, if something is not working, we're going to adjust."

Because many of the activities are outside, Coffman said masks are not mandatory at this point.

"When there's a situation where we can't be social distanced those will be things we'll keep in mind," Coffman said. "But we are really trying to organize and keep the camp in a way where we are minimizing our numbers all together at once."

Camps across the nation have been canceled because of restrictions around COVID-19, Coffman said. However, camps are important as a child care service and a way to engage children.

"We're committed to our community to provide recreational programs, and what that means is different a little bit this summer, but we still want to do our best to provide something," Coffman said.

While the parks department is working to hold in-person opportunities, other groups are turning to virtual ways to try to engage kids.

The Columbia STEM Alliance is working on a online summer program to keeps students engaged in science and technology over the summer

Executive Director Craig Adams said the non-profit is working on putting together kits and videos so students can build and program robots at home. Adams said the key part of the program will be the ability for kids to video conference with experts.

"They can show you, and talk it through without putting them at risk or the teacher at risk, but you can still have that interaction with them," Adams said.

While the virtual experience is still being put together, Adams said the goal is to have it up and running by the middle of July.

Adams shared the concerns of many parents he has spoken with that kids have not been able to engage in many learning opportunities since schools and activities drastically changed.

"Parents are struggling, parents are looking for different things for their kids to keep their mind occupied, keep their hands occupied, and interested in learning," Adams said. "We're just trying to do our part to try to meet that need as best as we can."

Watch ABC17 News at 9 on KQFX and 10 on KMIZ for a full report.