From surfing instructions to theater programs, in-person summer camps for teens and youth will soon be available in Santa Barbara County, with COVID-19 safety protocols.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released updated guidance for youth and summer camps during the pandemic. The agency said people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear face coverings at camps, except where required by state or local regulations.
In Santa Barbara County, however, mask rules will not change before June 15 unless the California Department of Public Health makes an adjustment to its mandate, said Jackie Ruiz, spokeswoman for the county Public Health Department.
“We actually have guidance from CDPH that we follow locally and would supersede CDC guidance,” she told Noozhawk in an email Friday. “Our guidance would only change if CDPH’s guidance changes.”
Starting June 15, California will move away from the color-coded Blueprint for a Safer Economy reopening guidelines and, according to the state, all sectors listed in the guidelines may return to usual operations.
Youth day camps must follow specific portions of California’s K-12 school guidance, the state Public Health Department said. Click here for more information.
Regardless, local organizations are looking forward to welcoming young campers back this summer.
“I’m happy and thrilled that this summer we are able to move back to everything in-person,” AHA! executive director Roxy Petty said. “Our youth from all ages are needing that in-person connection.
“A lot of students are experiencing new emotions around being with other people, and we want to make sure that we provide them with the skill set to be able to facilitate getting back to school next year.”
AHA!, which provides social-emotional learning for teenagers and adults, will offer different types of in-person summer programming, including the first-ever Digital Cleanse camp for 14 to 19 year olds in June.
The Digital Cleanse camp is fee-based.
The rest of AHA! summer programs are donation-based. Families pay only what they can afford, and no one is turned away for financial reasons, said Joy Elizondo, enrollment outreach and school liaison at AHA!
AHA! summer camps include the summer program for teens from ninth-graders in the upcoming year to graduated high school seniors, as well as the Get Inspired Arts Program in partnership with Casa del Herrero in Montecito, a music group called E.Q.! Vibes in partnership with the Turner Foundation, and the Littlest Little Farm! open to incoming eighth-grade students to alumni.
Click here for the complete listing.
AHA! is excited about making long-term life connections, Petty said.
“A lot of people are reaching out to us parents and students alike, which is wonderful,” she said. “It’s a good sign that people are getting ready to make that change — parents as much as students. And we are thrilled to be able to provide this space.”
Last year, AHA! provided summer programming at a local park for about 15 students who “we felt needed in-person programming,” Petty said, mentioning that all other programs were offered via Zoom.
“We provided a whole lot of programming last year over Zoom,” she said, adding, “It’s exciting to be able to continue to do what we do.”
The UC Santa Barbara Department of Recreation will provide its surf and kayak camp, junior lifeguard program and youth swim lessons this summer. The beach camps are available to the public, but youth swim lessons will only be offered to UCSB students, staff and faculty.
Click here for more information.
“Although mostly returning to pre-pandemic times, we are still implementing several COVID-19 safety protocols such as face coverings and daily screenings,” said Ashley Marsh, assistant director for events and scheduling at UCSB Department of Recreation.
Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara will host its summer enrichment camp for girls and teens in-person at the Girls Inc.’s Goleta Valley and teen center at 4973 Hollister Ave.
“We are excited for summer,” chief strategy officer Kristen Weaver said, mentioning that Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara has a lower capacity than usual for both the TK-6 and the teen program to accommodate social distancing in physical spaces.
Girls Inc. extended its session length to two four-week sessions to limit the number of new participants entering the program each week, and staff and youth will perform daily health checks before entering the center. Click here for more information.
In addition, youth will bring their lunch rather than have it provided by Girls Inc. The organization will provide daily snacks, Weaver said, and plans call for reducing the field trip schedule.
“We have had these steps in place for several months now to support our remote learning school day program,” she said.
Art, games, music, theater, video, photography, science, nature and sports activities will be offered in-person at the Santa Barbara Creative Education’s summer camps. Academic tutoring also will be available if requested, and the summer camps will take place at Garden Street Academy on Santa Barbara’s Upper Eastside.
Click here for more information.
Staff worked with county public health officials to determine how to follow safe COVID-19 precautions, said Joseph D’Arezzo Natale, director of the D’Arezzo Center, adding that the Santa Barbara Creative Education operated in-person for the entire year with a public health certification.
During summer camps, the learning stations are located outdoors and cleaning stations with hand sanitizer are placed around the area, among other coronavirus safety protocols.
“If children are facing toward each other, we use clear plastic screen protectors when children are near each other and they do wear masks,” Natale said. “We use commercial-grade nontoxic virus spray on all tables, chairs, equipment, etc.”
The Santa Barbara Zoo’s summer zoo camp is open this year, and was held last year as well. Most camps are full, said JZPR president Jennifer Zacharias, a zoo representative.
Additional details are available on the zoo’s website. Click here for more information.
Coronavirus-related protocols include staggered drop-off and pick-up times to limit gatherings among participants, and the camps will be held outside, with shaded areas, among other public health measures.
Starting in July, Lights Up! Theatre Company will offer a wide range of teen camp options with morning, afternoon and evening programs available at the Community Arts Center in Santa Barbara. Teens will learn improvisation skills, acting techniques, musical theater and more.
Click here for more information.
The Boy Scouts of America Los Padres Council will hold a single-day camp on Aug. 14 at Camp Rancho Alegre off Highway 154 near Lake Cachuma in the Santa Ynez Valley.
“Our program will cover STEM and shooting sports,” senior district executive April Wright-Litchfield said. “I’m sure the kids will love it.”
Click here for Noozhawk’s 2021 ParentNooz Camp Guide.
More than 3,400 children (aged 0-17) have tested positive for COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County, which is about 0.09% of the region’s total number of cases as of Friday, according to the county Public Health Department.
Following review by federal and state agencies, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine became available for youth ages 12 to 15 in May. The CDC recommends the vaccine for people 12 years and older.
People are considered fully vaccinated at least two weeks after their second COVID-19 shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or at least two weeks after their single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to the CDC.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
