Their parents are essential workers. This nonprofit offers them a safe place to go. – NJ.com
Six-year-old Takyra knows why it’s important to wear a mask.
“’Cause you don’t wanna catch the coronavirus,” she said as she sat at a desk in a classroom at the Boys and Girls Club of Newark.
Her own pink cloth mask was wrapped snuggly around her face and nose as she sat at her desk with others spaced around her. And on Thursday, she received another one for her collection, thanks to a donation from a California-based mask company.
Takyra received one of 500 masks that were donated to two Boys and Girls Clubs in Newark by HALO LIFE. For every order, the company donates one mask to a nonprofit that serves frontline workers and the homeless.
Newark Public Schools students have been learning remotely and will continue to do so until at least January. The Boys and Girls Club of Newark, however, began offering all-day, in-person activities on Oct. 5 to a limited number of children whose parents are essential workers such as nurses, teachers, or supermarket employees.
The nonprofit halted in-person activities between March and July, but held a six-week camp program this summer.
The Club uses to only offer afterschool programs, but now the doors open at 7:30 a.m. and close around 6 p.m.
Seventy-one children between six and 13 are in the program now, but up to 90 will be accepted. The kids get to do their virtual classwork from school in the morning and then do other activities in the afternoon.
No more than 15 kids are allowed in smaller classrooms at a time, said Boys and Girls Club of Newark CEO Ameer Washington.
“I think it’s huge,” Washington told NJ Advance Media. “When we opened for the summer, we saw a difference in our kids and some of them still exhibited, kind of, depression and anxiety. They know they can’t sit too close to each other. They know they have to keep their mask on.”
The Boys and Girls Clubs in Newark are available to students regardless of whether they live in the city. There are also scholarships and other financial assistance available for its programming, Washington said.
Answer Washington – CEO of Boys and Girls Club of Newark, helped orchestrate the distribution of new face masks, courtesy of Halo Life, to children at the Girls and Boys Club of Newark on Thursday afternoon. 10/29/2020Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media
A licensed clinical social worker is available to talk to kids, Washington said. The nonprofit also surveyed families during the early months of the pandemic to see what their needs were and helped direct them to services that could help.
The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Newark Ironbound is also holding in-person activities for children and received 250 of the masks from HALO LIFE. While it too halted in-person activities in March, the nonprofit still offered services to children and families virtually.
“Like the other clubs too, we understood there was still a need to be met even though classes and everything were canceled,” said Jonathan Jackson, a Newark area commander for the Salvation Army. “So we adapted.”
Jonathan Jackson, Area Commander for the Salvation Army helped orchestrate the distribution of new face masks, courtesy of Halo Life, at the Girls and Boys Club of Newark on Thursday afternoon. 10/29/2020Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media
The virus has been having a resurgence across Essex County, and particularly in Newark. The city’s positivity rate was at 11.2% over a three-day rolling average period, city officials said, compared to a three-day positivity rate of 5.28% statewide.
Those who enter the Boys and Girls Club of Newark get a temperature check at the door and are asked questions about travel history and symptoms. Surfaces are wiped down regularly and only one person is allowed to use the bathroom at a time.
1st grade student DeLaena receives a new face mask courtesy of Halo Life and the Salvation Army at the Boys and Girls Club of Newark on Thursday afternoon. 10/29/2020Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media
Most kids, even the younger ones, have an understanding of what the coronavirus is, said staffers at the Boys and Girls Club of Newark. They won’t share their snacks with their friends to keep what they call “rona” at bay.
Keldejia Stukes, who has worked at the Boys and Girls Club of Newark for about seven years, said patience and kindness plays a big part in each day with the students. More and more students, especially the younger ones, are becoming receptive to washing their hands constantly and keeping their masks on.
“We’re just making sure that we’re kind to each other and the children,” Stukes said. “This is new to us and as an adult, it’s hard to adjust. So imagine being a five-year-old.”
1st grade student Wanda receives a new face mask courtesy of Halo Life and the Salvation Army at the Boys and Girls Club of Newark on Thursday afternoon. 10/29/2020Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com.