TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – The Boys & Girls Club of Topeka is making some big changes ahead of starting summer programs.
During the summer, the Topeka clubs usually see more than 800 kids combined. With the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing, they’re forced to reduce the number of people in the building.
Starting on Monday, the Topeka clubs will only have 180 kids and volunteers inside, with no more than 10 people in a group.
Once the pandemic hit Shawnee County, they had to make the tough decision on who can and cannot go to the clubs during the summer, focusing on those who really need the assistance.
“Our club directors spent a lot of time with those individual converstations making sure that we were capturing the kids who really needed us, whose parents needed us, and didn’t have any other options over the summer,” Dawn McWilliams of BGCT said.
She added that the clubs have also worked with school districts in the area to make sure they help kids get ready for the new grade level. McWilliams said there may be some educational gaps since school hasn’t been in person since March.