Whatcom Boys & Girls clubhouses, daycares to offer distanced learning centers

The Boys & Girls Club of Whatcom County will transform some of its clubhouses and daycare sites into distanced learning centers to help local students while local schools are closed, the organization announced Friday.

The change, called Project Connect, is meant to provide a space for kindergarten through sixth-grade students to access remote learning modules assigned by the school districts, while in-person learning has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The program will go from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday, with after-school club programming going until 5 p.m. The staff will provide help with schoolwork and activities meant to reinforce class content. Lunch and snacks will also be served.

Three- and five-day memberships are available by month with the session running from Sept. 8 to Dec. 18. According to the club’s website, cost for the four-month term is $1,750 per student for the five-day program and $1,386 for the three-day program held Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both programs are closed Nov. 11 and Nov. 25-27. Financial aid may be available for children who qualify for free/reduced lunch. Those applications are due Friday, Aug. 28.

Masks are required to be worn by all staff and students, social distancing recommendations will be followed and facilities will be cleaned and sanitized per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines. There’s room for 60 students at locations in Ferndale, Bellingham, Blaine and Lynden, according to CEO Heather Powell. Additional sites will be opened after the first 48 are filled in Ferndale, Powell said.

“Until schools can safely reopen, it is imperative that the Boys &Girls Clubs do all we can to provide students with affordable, alternative learning sites that provide high-quality educational opportunities in an environment conducive to learning with access to high-speed internet, and staff supervision,” club CEO Heather Powell said

More information is available at whatcomclubs.org.

This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 5:00 AM.