Dear Camp Fort Greene Families,
Thank you to all of you who responded to last week's survey about Camp Fort Greene online. We have read through your responses, and it is clear there is not enough interest in online programming to sustain a virtual Summer 2020 season. That means we will not be offering a camp experience until we can safely do so in person.
I read your comments, and I know some of you are hoping we can still run camp outdoors, with online programming on rainy days, as that was one of our contingencies. Others expressed optimism that camp might be able to run as normal, with our regular camp schedule, as the curve is flattening and some regions of our state are opening up.
While it is true that social distancing has been working, it is also clear that the novel coronavirus is mutating in ways that present new complications, like the Kawasaki-like symptoms some children in the New York City area have developed. Although we feel comfortable with families who mostly commute by stroller and scooter to camp, we also have to think of our staff, almost all of whom rely on public transportation. These risks, which are already so perilous, seem even more dangerous when we imagine the management of mask use through July and August.
In many ways, our communications have been our way of inviting you to the kitchen table, to try to plan for July and August with your input. The comments section of last week's poll was a kind of CFG family vote. We've counted your votes, and this is where we are:
There is the slimmest of possibility that July and/or August might be safe for camps to operate. And we all want childcare that gets our children outdoors, moving and playing with their friends. So, if the CDC eases their restrictive guidelines, and the Department of Health determines that it is safe to run summer day camps without masks and social distancing protocols, then we will revisit the idea of running camp in some form, keeping safety foremost in mind, if timing and budget allow.
In the meantime, we want to honor the commitments we made in the very early days of the quarantine for what we think is the more likely scenario: that camp will not be possible this summer.
I want to thank all of you who have made the decision to invest in our nonprofit by either asking us to hold your registration for Summer 2021 or by donating a portion of your registration to our 501(c)3. And for those of you who need a full refund, we totally get it. We know we'll see you all on the other side. If you have any questions about your tuition for Summer 2020, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@campfortgreene.com.
Thank you in advance for your patience as we work through what is a very time-consuming process for reconciling each family's account. We hope to have everyone squared away in the next few weeks, and will contact you directly should we have any questions.
I want to ask you to do one more thing: Please stay safe. We love our Camp Fort Greene family. Tell your children we miss them dearly and that we look forward to new adventures as soon as the scientists tell us it is safe to share our toys, pass basketballs, and hold each other's hands once again.
Warmly,
Eisa
Camp Fort Greene Founder + Director
info@campfortgreene.com
