School is back in session. So is fall programming at Mahomet Area Youth Club.
But, like everything else in 2020, it looks a little different.
The uncertainty of the summer and school year required the MAYC staff to remain flexible in order to fulfill the community’s needs for childcare as the time approached.
MAYC served 40 families over the summer months, about half of normal.
“We had a lot of fun,” Executive Director Sara Balgoyen said. “We did a lot of outdoor activities, and we feel pretty good about that.”
Summer camp ended on Aug. 14. And while school began on the 19th, MAYC just reopened their doors to junior high students on Aug. 25, after cleaning and reorganizing for the new program, while Illinois remains in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan.
MAYC wanted to fill in where needed. According to Balgoyen, the Mahomet-Seymour School District felt they had enough space and resources for elementary-aged students to go to Kids’ Club, so MAYC decided to provide space for young teenagers.
“That is really what we do during the school year anyhow,” Balgoyen said.
In years past, during school hours, the MAYC Clubhouse was used by the school district to house the A.T.L.A.S. program. Those students are now learning at the Mahomet United Methodist Church facility.
“That gives us the opportunity to not put them at risk by having other students here,” Balgoyen said.
When junior high students are learning remotely, but required to be in school, Tues. through Friday., MAYC provides a space for them to connect via their Chromebook. Plexiglass has been added to tables to separate students while they work.
Balgoyen said that MAYC can take up to 25 students each day. The program still has a few slots left. Registration can be found at https://forms.gle/LLntdBCje5fHNdM26. Fees are income based and capped at $20 per day.
“This is predominantly for kids who are going in person,” Balgoyen said. “We do have a few families who are doing fully remote who also want their kids to come, but we’re still only keeping them two days a week so that we don’t again cross contaminate groups.”
“We’re giving parents the feeling of security and safety for their kids, that they’re not forced to leave them at home by themselves, navigate all this e-learning and the technology things that come with that. We’re keeping them on track and on time,” Balgoyen said.
Following IDPH guidelines such as wearing a mask, social distancing, hand washing and regular cleaning, MAYC went through the summer months without a COVID-19 case or outbreak, and hopes to continue that streak throughout the 2020-21 school year.
The small-group nature of MAYC lends itself to providing support for students when they need it. But, there’s also time for kids to be kids, too.
Since school begins at 9:30 a.m. and students can arrive at MAYC at 7:30 a.m. and school ends at 3:030 p.m. and students often leave around 5:30 p.m., Balgoyen said that the club is also offering students both structured and unstructured social time while supervised.
“We get to do the fun MAYC stuff too,” Balgoyen said.
Students also get two snacks a day, and bring their own lunch.
MAYC has received additional funds from The Community Foundation of East Central Illinois and the United Way, which provided a COVID-19 fund for social services, that helped the youth club upgrade their Wi-Fi for students, purchase headphones for e-learning and support some of the additional staffing needed
And although MAYC had a successful Run Mahomet event, which raised about two-thirds what they normally raise during the annual in-person fundraising event, the club has increased costs, hosting students for 40 hours a week as opposed to the 10-15 hours they normally would in the after school program.
“Now that we’re doing programming that is more expensive and costs us more, there is some concern about what we’ll be able to do or how this will affect what we’ll be able to do,” Balgoyen said. “We would very much appreciate any monetary donations.”
As of right now, MAYC has plenty of school supplies for students.
“We’ve had a lot of generous donors around the community showing up with pencils and erasers and sharpeners and paper,” Balgoyen said.
The club is hoping that in order to bridge some fundraising gaps, people will consider becoming a Friend of MAYC, with a small monthly donation.
“Small levels of $25 or $50 a month can really go a long way for us, especially if a lot of people are able to do that,” she said.
“We have a lot of families that need support, and we’re trying to do that. And we do that mostly through scholarships to help them have their kids be in a safe environment. That’s really where our funds go.
“Of course yes we had to do things like upgrade Wi-Fi, but the majority of our funds go to help families directly through staff support and physically being in a safe space.”
