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Greater Joliet YMCA adapts longtime program to support families in remote learning

In-person learning? Remote learning? Hybrid learning? The COVID-19 pandemic keeps the educational modality fluid. But one local organization has stepped up to be a constant.

By DENISE M

November 13, 2020 at 3:00 pm CST

The Greater Joliet Area YMCA has expanded its 20-year-old before and after-school school program to accommodate families who needed additional care with remote learning. Kid Zone PLUS is currently operating at three Joliet sites to accommodate students in kindergarten through eighth grade from Joliet Public Schools District 86 and Troy Community Consolidated School District 30-C, according to Carolyn Hamilton vice president of marketing and communications for the Greater Joliet YMCA. The program is also running an additional five sites in Minooka, Morris and Plainfield. At all sites, state guidelines are being followed, Hamilton added. Above, Julian Contreras, 6, puts on his headphones as he prepares to start e-learning on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at the Salvation Army Joliet Community Center in Joliet, Ill. (Geoff Stellfox)

The Greater Joliet Area YMCA has expanded its 20-year-old before and after-school school program to accommodate families who needed additional care with remote learning. Kid Zone PLUS is currently operating at three Joliet sites to accommodate students in kindergarten through eighth grade from Joliet Public Schools District 86 and Troy Community Consolidated School District 30-C, according to Carolyn Hamilton vice president of marketing and communications for the Greater Joliet YMCA. The program is also running an additional five sites in Minooka, Morris and Plainfield. At all sites, state guidelines are being followed, Hamilton added. Above, Julian Contreras, 6, puts on his headphones as he prepares to start e-learning on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at the Salvation Army Joliet Community Center in Joliet, Ill. (Geoff Stellfox)

The various YMCA branches and partner locations have converted gyms and multipurpose rooms to support students - more than 250 in Will and Grundy counties, Katy Leclair, chief operating officer of the Greater Joliet Area YMCA, said. But additional partner locations and more staff – paid staff – is needed, Leclair added. “We hire people 18 and over and preferably those with an interest in education,” Leclair said. “We provide more than 40 hours of training so when they step inside a classroom, they’re ready to go.” Above, YMCA site supervisor Anna Ivey speaks with Charity French about the importance of wearing masks on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at the Salvation Army Joliet Community Center in Joliet, Ill. (Geoff Stellfox)

Brooke Hall, childcare director at the Galowich Family YMCA, oversees the program at Galowich and the newest partner site: The Salvation Army in Joliet. That site has room for 39 students and currently has 30 participating, Hall said. The third site is located at the Smith Family YMCA, she said. Above, Delilah Gomez, 6, wears Minnie Mouse ears while participating in her online class on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at the Salvation Army Joliet Community Center in Joliet, Ill. (Geoff Stellfox)

Hall said the Joliet sites run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and includes breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and a cold dinner. Pricing is competitive in regard to the area’s childcare rates: $195 a week per child for YMCA members and $220 a week per child for non-members, Hall said. Scholarships are also available to help offset costs, she added. “Eighty percent of the children who attend are actually on the child car assistance program from the state,” Hall said. Above, Tyrone Stone, 10, participates in his online class on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at the Salvation Army Joliet Community Center in Joliet, Ill. (Geoff Stellfox)

But in addition to the above amenities, the YMCA also emphasizes character development, especially in the area of honesty, caring, respect and responsibility, Hall said. “We take pride in teaching and modeling that behavior with our kids,” Hall said. Above, Kameron Crump (left), 9, and his twin brother Kyndell solve Rubik’s cube puzzles on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at the Salvation Army Joliet Community Center in Joliet, Ill. (Geoff Stellfox)

Hall said District 86 delivers breakfast and lunch for the students each day. And the Northern Illinois Food Bank provides the snacks and cold dinners. “So they’re pretty well fed,” Hall said. “We hand them the cold supper when they’re picked up in the evening and they take it home with them.” Above, Juliana San Juan, 6, finishes her breakfast while on a break on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at the Salvation Army Joliet Community Center in Joliet, Ill. (Geoff Stellfox)

The nursing students at Lewis University in Romeoville are also partnering with the Joliet sites, Leclair said. The students are hosting programs about staying healthy during COVID, she said. The Joliet Public Library is also bringing books to the Joliet sites every few weeks “to keep the kids engaged in reading,” Leclair said. Julian Contreras, 6, takes a break from class on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at the Salvation Army Joliet Community Center in Joliet, Ill. (Geoff Stellfox)

The YMCA's partner sites in Morris are at Morris Elementary School District 54 and Saratoga School District 60C. The Morris schools are currently operating on a hybrid model, Leclair said. In this case, Kid Zone PLUS opens at 7 a.m. for before-school care. When the morning school session is done, the kids return to the program for lunch, remote learning and an afternoon snack. The program ends at 6 p.m., Leclair said. Above, students are escorted to class on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at the Salvation Army Joliet Community Center in Joliet, Ill. (Geoff Stellfox)

The Plainfield program runs from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Plainfield United Methodist Church. That, too, includes breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack, Leclair said. Programs in Minooka are held at Minooka Bible Church and Walnut Trails Elementary School, she added. Leclair said the YMCA planned several different possibilities for the Kid Zone PLUS program, not knowing if schools would adopt in-person, remote or hybrid learning this fall. In an email, Hamilton, said the students are doing “a fantastic job staying on task” and completing their schoolwork each day. Above, YMCA staff member Martha Pedersen takes the temperature of each student before entering the building on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at the Salvation Army Joliet Community Center in Joliet, Ill. (Geoff Stellfox)

“It’s very impressive to see how everything has come together so quickly,” Hamilton wrote. “Since many of the districts planned to go back this fall in-person, and switched to remove in late August, everyone has done an amazing job rolling with the punches.” For more information on the the Kid Zone PLUS program or to apply for a staff position, visit jolietymca.org. Above, signs are posted to remind students to wear masks on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at the Salvation Army Joliet Community Center in Joliet, Ill. (Geoff Stellfox)

#People Joliet Minooka Plainfield Shorewood Morris Greater Joliet Area YMCA Kid Zone PLUS remote learning hybrid learning Denise M. Baran-Unland. Lewis University Joliet Public Library Northern Illinois Food Bank Katy Leclair Brooke Hall Carolyn Hamilton COVID-19