Update: Re-opening plans underway at select clubhouse locations

After working closely with the City of Rockford and the Winnebago County Health Department to determine the safest path forward for re-opening clubhouse operations during Phase 3 and Phase 4 of the State of Illinois’ COVID-19 Response Plan, Boys & Girls Club of Rockford has moved into the coronavirus era with extreme caution and an emphasis on child safety.

The following are a few highlights of our clubhouse re-opening strategy:

• We re-opened the Carlson unit a few weeks ago to SEVEN members to practice and learn. Earlier this week, we re-opened the Fairgrounds unit.
• We’re limiting the number of children inside our facilities to ensure social distancing (e.g. no more than 30 children at a time for a facility the size of the Fairgrounds unit).
• We’re increasing the number of staff when members are onsite to help ensure social distancing and assist with running more small group programming. One staff person is focused exclusively on disinfecting and wiping down commonly used surfaces.
• We’ve instituted “shift programming” in an effort to maximize how many Club members can still access in-person clubhouse programming (e.g. Fairgrounds unit 1:00 – 4:30 pm is for K-5 grades and 5:00 – 7:30 pm is for teen members).
• We’re implementing public health best practices (e.g. face masks, temperature scanning, routine handwashing, etc).

If your child is interested in participating, please DO NOT just send them down to the clubhouse. Contact Sheila at the Carlson Unit (815-633-2287) and Gayle at the Fairgrounds unit (815-977-5948) for space availability, registration information and waiver forms.

Boys & Girls Club of Rockford takes child safety very seriously, which is why we’re approaching this public health crisis with great caution (e.g. soft opens, continuous improvement process, engaging public health professionals and community leaders, etc).

As we learn and improve in the coming weeks, our next goal will be to get the Blackhawk Unit open. Our current target date is July 6th, but this is the earliest we anticipate it happening. It also will depend on many factors including: 1) how successful our community is with its COVID-19 response plan; 2) availability of funds to continue hiring more staff and procuring PPE; and 3) feedback received from key stakeholders like parents, staff, community leaders, public health professionals and the board of directors.

Bottom line? So far, so good. We’re thrill to report that we’re slowly re-opening and exercising extreme caution. Please stay tuned to this space on our website for future updates.

May 18th Member Question of the Week

What do you miss most about not being able to come to the Club during the State’s stay-at-home order?

May 25th Member Question of the Week

When it came to the State’s coronvirus stay-at-home order, what was the most difficult thing you or your family had to deal with?