Dear Club Families,

With the holiday season in full swing, I would like to remind our Club members and families of some COVID-19 related best practices for the safety of your family and our Club community.

Please review these helpful tips for safe holiday celebrations.

Please be aware of Massachusetts' active Travel Order, and if you must travel out-of-state to one of the states considered to be unsafe by the Commonwealth, be aware of your options:

• Quarantine for 14 days upon return to Massachusetts from out-of-state travel.
• Produce a negative COVID-19 test, from an FDA EUA-approved molecular (PCR) SARS-CoV2 test result that has been administered up to 72-hours prior to your arrival in Massachusetts.

Additionally, if traveling to one of these states OR if your child has been exposed to COVID-19, you are required to fill out an Out-of-State Travel & Covid-19 Exposure Disclosure Form before returning to any Club programming and to adhere to the policies outlined on the form.

Please note that failure to complete this form after out-of-state travel or known exposure to COVID-19 may result in the permanent loss of membership at our Clubs.

Thank you for your continued cooperation in keeping our Clubs safe.

Wishing you a happy, healthy holiday season from Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South!

Derek W. Heim

President & Chief Executive Officer

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South

Dear BGCMS Families,

We are happy to report that BGCMS staff and leadership are diligently preparing for the reopening of our Clubs and programs! In fact, our staff team has returned to work as of today to begin planning in anticipation of the summer camp programs and services we look forward to offering beginning on Monday, July 6th!

Between now and then, we will be extending our temporary closures of our Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses and the continued suspension of our 'After the Bell' extension site programs through Friday, July 3rd. 

Effective Monday, June 1st, our Clubhouses will begin allowing "by appointment only" visitation for parents to register for anticipated summer programs between the hours of 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

There will also be several Virtual Information Sessions for parents who would like to learn more about our summer camp programs. Dates and times of Camp Riverside information sessions can be found here and dates and times of Camp Brookside  information sessions can be found here.

CONTINUATION OF ESSENTIAL SERVICES: GRAB-&-GO MEALS & "CLUB AT HOME" VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING

The past few weeks have further evidenced that nutritional assistance is one of the most critical supports that our Clubs provide to our members on a daily basis and as such we will continue to operate our weeknight (Monday-Friday) grab-and-go dinner program at both the Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses through at least July 3, 2020 for ALL youth ages 18 and under. 

Grab-and-go meals are available for pick up at the Brockton Clubhouse from 4:30-5:30 PM. Please come to the gymnasium double doors on the righthand side of the Clubhouse for service. 

Grab-and-go meals are also be available for pick up at the Taunton Clubhouse from 4:30-5:30 PM. Please come to the double doors at the top of the ramp located on the side of the Clubhouse along Kings Court for service.

Children DO NOT need to be present at pick-up but we ask that parents please take only one meal per child in their household. 

Meals will be served on a first-come-first-served basis. We thank you for your understanding as we work to ensure we have enough meals for every child who needs them. We will provide additional meals and food items on Fridays to ensure youth have access to dinners over the weekend. Prepared meals should be refrigerated for up to 24 hours or consumed within 30 minutes. We will provide re-heating instructions when needed.

We are grateful to be able to continue meal service while our Clubhouses are closed and we thank each of our staff members who are gladly stepping up to support our kids. In the event we must change any part of this plan, we will update our website and social media accounts.

Likewise, despite the extreme challenges facing our Clubs and communities, we are determined to remain a source of hope and help to the youth who rely on us. We are continuing to provide desperately needed support to our members during this critical time by offering online resources, daily virtual programming, and access to Club curricula via our website and social media platforms in order to continue supporting our members’ education and positive development. 

We are currently offering "Club at Home" virtual programming daily for membership cohorts of varying ages. These programs are a mix of short DIY instructor-led on-demand video activities ranging from arts and crafts projects to simple experiments to youth-friendly workout routines, live/interactive programs connecting Club members with our staff through “members only” Facebook groups for each Clubhouse, word problems and riddles of the day, and many other creative virtual adaptations of regular core Club programs which promote academic success, healthy lifestyles, and the development of strong character and leadership skills.

We also have a dedicated Virtual Programming resources page on our website where youth can access these programs and other resources (virtual tours of historic sites, typing tutorials, etc.) in an on-demand fashion.

SUMMER PROGRAMMING UPDATES

2020 camp registration is OPEN! $0 deposit required! 

Day camp programs at Camp Riverside and Camp Brookside will begin with Session C on July 6th! Due to social distancing mandates from the state, we will have limited number of camper slots available this summer and will only be offering "traditional camp" programs.

We are excited to offer online registration for Camp Riverside this summer! To register for Camp Brookside, you can email your registration forms to tsoares@bgcmetrosouth.org, mail them to our Corporate Offices (19 Court Street - Taunton, MA 02780), or make an appointment to stop by the Brockton Clubhouse between 9 AM and 6 PM, Monday through Friday, beginning on June 1st.

HELP STOP THE SPREAD!

We all can play a role in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the CDC has shared specific resources for Massachusetts businesses and residents to promote the implementation of "social distancing" best practices. Due to the current level of COVID-19 transmission in Massachusetts, CDC recommends certain community mitigation activities to help slow the spread of COVID-19 into the community and to protect vulnerable members of the community. 

Club leadership will continue to look to state leadership. the CDC, and local boards of health for recommendations and best practices and will continue to share these resources with our members' families, staff team, and Board of Directors.

Thank you! Be well!

Derek W. Heim

President & Chief Executive Officer

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South

Dear BGCMS Families,

We are deeply disappointed to today announce the extension of the temporary closures of our Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses and the suspension of our 'After the Bell' extension site programs through Monday, June 29th, 2020 per the order issued on April 21st by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  

These closures continue to impact all Club programs and operations, including licensed before and after school child care programs, drop-in after school programs, swimming lessons, sports leagues, specialty enrichment programs, community programs, and events, and rentals.

CONTINUATION OF ESSENTIAL SERVICES: GRAB-&-GO MEALS & "CLUB AT HOME" VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING

The past few weeks have further evidenced that nutritional assistance is one of the most critical supports that our Clubs provide to our members on a daily basis and as such we will continue to operate our weeknight (Monday-Friday) grab-and-go dinner program at both the Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses through at least June 29, 2020 for ALL youth ages 18 and under. 

Grab-and-go meals are available for pick up at the Brockton Clubhouse from 4:30-5:30 PM. Please come to the gymnasium double doors on the righthand side of the Clubhouse for service. Grab-and-go meals are also be available for pick up at the Taunton Clubhouse from 4:30-5:30 PM. Please come to the double doors at the top of the ramp located on the side of the Clubhouse along Kings Court for service.

Children do not need to be present at pick-up but we ask that parents please take only one meal per child in their household. 

Meals will be served on a first-come-first-served basis. We thank you for your understanding as we work to ensure we have enough meals for every child who needs them. We will provide additional meals and food items on Fridays to ensure youth have access to dinners over the weekend. Prepared meals should be refrigerated for up to 24 hours or consumed within 30 minutes. We will provide re-heating instructions when needed.

We are grateful to be able to continue meal service while our Clubhouses are closed and we thank each of our staff members who are gladly stepping up to support our kids. In the event we must change any part of this plan, we will update our website and social media accounts.

Likewise, despite the extreme challenges facing our Clubs and communities, we are determined to remain a source of hope and help to the youth who rely on us. We are continuing to provide desperately needed support to our members during this critical time by offering online resources, daily virtual programming, and access to Club curricula via our website and social media platforms in order to continue supporting our members’ education and positive development. 

We are currently offering 8-10 "Club at Home" virtual programs daily for membership cohorts of varying ages. These programs are a mix of short DIY instructor-led on-demand video activities ranging from arts and crafts projects to simple experiments to youth-friendly workout routines, live/interactive programs connecting Club members with our staff through “members only” Facebook groups for each Clubhouse, word problems and riddles of the day, and many other creative virtual adaptations of regular core Club programs which promote academic success, healthy lifestyles, and the development of strong character and leadership skills.

We also have a dedicated Virtual Programming resources page on our website where youth can access these programs and other resources (virtual tours of historic sites, typing tutorials, etc.) in an on-demand fashion.

SUMMER PROGRAMMING UPDATES

Our entire staff team eagerly awaits the return of our beloved members to our Clubs. We are actively working to develop our programming strategy for the summer months, given the information provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts earlier this week. At this time, we are concentrating our efforts on developing Club-based camp programs for summer 2020 (July and August) and will work towards making a final decision as soon as possible as to what an abbreviated Camp Riverside season might look like.

HELP STOP THE SPREAD!

We all can play a role in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the CDC has shared specific resources for Massachusetts businesses and residents to promote the implementation of "social distancing" best practices. Due to the current level of COVID-19 transmission in Massachusetts, CDC recommends certain community mitigation activities to help slow the spread of COVID-19 into the community and to protect vulnerable members of the community. 

Club leadership will continue to look to state leadership. the CDC, and local boards of health for recommendations and best practices and will continue to share these resources with our members' families, staff team, and Board of Directors.

Thank you! Be well!

Derek W. Heim

President & Chief Executive Officer

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South

Dear BGCMS Families,

At this time, we are announcing the extension of the temporary closures of our Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses, and the extension of our temporary suspension of our 'After the Bell' extension site programs through Monday, May 4, 2020 to help limit the potential spread of COVID-19, per the order issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  

These closures continue to impact all Club programs and operations, including licensed before and after school child care programs, drop-in after school programs, swimming lessons, sports leagues, specialty enrichment programs, community programs and events, and rentals. 

ESSENTIAL SERVICES THAT ARE NOT IMPACTED:

We know that nutritional assistance is one of the key supports that our Clubs provide to our members on a daily basis. With this in mind, we will continue our meal service program at both the Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses through May 4, 2020. Both Clubhouses will offer grab-and-go dinners for youth ages 18 and under. Grab-and-go meal service will continue Monday-Friday until our Clubs resume regular operations.

Grab-and-go meals will be available for pick up at the Brockton Clubhouse from 4:30-5:30 PM. Please come to the gymnasium double doors on the righthand side of the Clubhouse for service. 

Grab-and-go meals will also be available for pick up at the Taunton Clubhouse from 4:30-5:30 PM. Please come to the double doors at the top of the ramp located on the side of the Clubhouse along Kings Court for service. 

Children must be present at pick-up and one meal per child will be served on a first-come-first-served basis. We will provide up to 3 meals per child on Fridays to ensure youth have access to dinners over the weekend. We will provide re-heating instructions when needed, however, most meals will be "cold" and should be refrigerated for up to 24 hours or consumed within 30 minutes. 

Please note that our Nutrition staff must closely follow federal guidelines that require youth to be present to receive their meals. Also, per federal guidelines, we cannot give out meals to adults. To reiterate, families will only receive one dinner per child (18 and under) who is present at the time of pick up. The meals cannot be given to you if your child is not present in the car. We cannot give out extra meals for adult family members, but again we will provide up to 3 meals per child on Friday evenings to ensure youth have access to dinners over the weekend.  We thank you for your understanding as we work to ensure we have enough meals for every child who needs them.

We are grateful to be able to continue meal service while our Clubs are closed and we thank each of our staff members who are gladly stepping up to support our kids. In the event we must change any part of this plan, we will update our website and social media accounts.

HELP STOP THE SPREAD!

We all can play a role in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the CDC has shared specific resources  for Massachusetts businesses and residents to promote the implementation of "social distancing" best practices.

Due to the current level of COVID-19 transmission in Massachusetts, CDC recommends certain community mitigation activities to help slow the spread of COVID-19 into the community and to protect vulnerable members of the community. CDC recommends the following interventions be implemented at this time. These recommendations may be updated, if necessary, based on any changes in the current local situation.

Club leadership will continue to look to the CDC for recommendations and best practices and will continue to share these resources with our members' families, staff team, and Board of Directors.

Thank you!

Derek W. Heim

President & Chief Executive Officer

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South

Dear BGCMS Families,

At this time, we are announcing the temporary closure of our Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses, and the temporary suspension of our 'After the Bell' extension site programs at the Frolio Middle School in Abington, at Chatham West, and The Pines Apartments effective at 5:00 PM tonight, Monday, March 23, 2020 through Tuesday, April 7, 2020 to help limit the potential spread of COVID-19.  This includes all Clubs, Camps, and our Corporation Offices.

These closures impact all Club programs and operations, including licensed before and after school child care programs, drop-in after school programs, swimming lessons, sports leagues, specialty enrichment programs, community programs and events, and rentals. 

ESSENTIAL SERVICES THAT ARE NOTIMPACTED:

We know that nutritional assistance is one of the key supports that our Clubs provide to our members on a daily basis. With this in mind, we will continue our meal service program at both the Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses through April 7, 2020. Both Clubhouses will offer grab-and-go dinners for youth ages 18 and under. Drive-up meal service will continue Monday-Friday until our Clubs resume regular operations.

Grab-and-go meals will be available for pick up at the Brockton Clubhouse from 4:30-5:30 PM. Please come to the gymnasium double doors on the righthand side of the Clubhouse for service. 

Grab-and-go meals will also be available for pick up at the Taunton Clubhouse from 4:30-5:30 PM. Please come to the double doors at the top of the ramp located on the side of the Clubhouse along Kings Court for service. 

Children must be present at pick-up and one meal per child will be served on a first-come-first-served basis. We will provide re-heating instructions when needed, however, most meals will be "cold" and should be refrigerated for up to 24 hours or consumed within 30 minutes. 

Please note that our Nutrition staff must closely follow federal guidelines that require youth to be present to receive their meals. Also, per federal guidelines, we cannot give out meals to adults. To reiterate, families will only receive one dinner per child (18 and under) who is present at the time of pick up. The meals cannot be given to you if your child is not present in the car. We cannot give out extra meals for adult family members. We thank you for your understanding as we work to ensure we have enough meals for every child who needs them.

We are grateful to be able to continue meal service while our Clubs are closed and we thank each of our staff members who are gladly stepping up to support our kids. In the event we must change any part of this plan, we will update our website and social media accounts.

HELP STOP THE SPREAD!

We all can play a role in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the CDC has shared specific resources  for Massachusetts businesses and residents to promote the implementation of "social distancing" best practices.

Massachusetts has recently implemented many interventions included in the CDC guidance. The most recent recommendations from Massachusetts can be found here .

Due to the current level of COVID-19 transmission in Massachusetts, CDC recommends certain community mitigation activities to help slow the spread of COVID-19 into the community and to protect vulnerable members of the community. CDC recommends the following interventions be implemented at this time. These recommendations may be updated, if necessary, based on any changes in the current local situation.

GOALS:  The goals for using mitigation strategies for Massachusetts are to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community and to protect:

• Individuals at increased risk for severe illness, including older adults and persons of any age with underlying health conditions. 
• The healthcare workforce and critical infrastructure workforces. 

These approaches are used to minimize morbidity and mortality caused by COVID-19 and minimize the social and economic impacts of COVID-19. Individuals, communities, businesses, and healthcare organizations are all part of a community mitigation strategy. Implementation emphasizes:

• Emphasizing individual responsibility for implementation of recommended personal-level actions.
• Empowering businesses, schools, and community organizations to implement recommended actions, particularly in ways that protect persons at risk of severe illness such as older adults and persons with serious underlying health conditions.
• Focusing on settings that provide critical services to implement recommended actions to protect critical infrastructure and individuals at risk of severe disease.
• Minimizing disruptions to daily life to the extent possible.

Club leadership will continue to look to the CDC for recommendations and best practices and will continue to share these resources with our members' families, staff team, and Board of Directors.

Thank you!

Derek W. Heim

President & Chief Executive Officer

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South

Friends and Neighbors,

We all can play a role in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the CDC has shared specific resources for Massachusetts businesses and residents to promote the implementation of "social distancing" best practices.

Massachusetts has recently implemented many interventions included in the CDC guidance. The most recent recommendations from Massachusetts can be found here.

Due to the current level of COVID-19 transmission in Massachusetts, CDC recommends certain community mitigation activities to help slow the spread of COVID-19 into the community and to protect vulnerable members of the community. CDC recommends the following interventions be implemented at this time. These recommendations may be updated, if necessary, based on any changes in the current local situation.

GOALS - The goals for using mitigation strategies for Massachusetts are to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community and to protect:

• Individuals at increased risk for severe illness, including older adults and persons of any age with underlying health conditions.
• The healthcare workforce and critical infrastructure workforces.

These approaches are used to minimize morbidity and mortality caused by COVID-19 and minimize the social and economic impacts of COVID-19. Individuals, communities, businesses, and healthcare organizations are all part of a community mitigation strategy.

Implementation emphasizes:

• Emphasizing individual responsibility for implementation of recommended personal-level actions.
• Empowering businesses, schools, and community organizations to implement recommended actions, particularly in ways that protect persons at risk of severe illness such as older adults and persons with serious underlying health conditions.
• Focusing on settings that provide critical services to implement recommended actions to protect critical infrastructure and individuals at risk of severe disease.
• Minimizing disruptions to daily life to the extent possible.

Club leadership will continue to look to the CDC for recommendations and best practices and will continue to share these resources with our members' families, staff team, and Board of Directors.

Thank you!

Derek W. Heim

President & Chief Executive Officer

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South

Dear BGCMS Families,

As you know, we have announced the closure of our Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses, and extension programs at the Frolio Middle School in Abington, at Chatham West, and The Pines Apartments through Friday, April 3rd to help limit the potential spread of COVID-19 per the mandate from Governor Baker. 

These closures impact all Club programs and operations, including licensed before and after school child care programs, drop-in after school programs, swimming lessons, sports leagues, specialty enrichment programs, community programs and events, and rentals. 

We know that nutritional assistance is one of the key supports that our Clubs provide to our members on a daily basis. With this in mind, beginning this Wednesday, March 18th, our Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses will each offer grab-and-go dinners for youth ages 18 and under. Drive-up meal service will continue Monday-Friday until our Clubs resume regular operations. 

Grab-and-go meals will be available for pick up at the Brockton Clubhouse from 4:30-5:30 PM. Please come to the gymnasium double doors on the righthand side of the Clubhouse for service. 

Grab-and-go meals will also be available for pick up at the Taunton Clubhouse from 4:30-5:30 PM. Please come to the double doors at the top of the ramp located on the side of the Clubhouse along Kings Court for service. 

Children must be present at pick-up and one meal per child will be served on a first-come-first-served basis. We will provide re-heating instructions when needed, however, most meals will be "cold" and should be refrigerated for up to 24 hours or consumed within 30 minutes. 

Please note that our Nutrition staff must closely follow federal guidelines that require youth to be present to receive their meals. Also, per federal guidelines, we cannot give out meals to adults. To reiterate, families will only receive one dinner per child (18 and under) who is present at the time of pick up. The meals cannot be given to you if your child is not present in the car. We cannot give out extra meals for adult family members. We thank you for your understanding as we work to ensure we have enough meals for every child who needs them.

We are grateful to be able to continue meal service while our Clubs are closed and we thank each of our staff members who are gladly stepping up to support our kids. In the event we must change any part of this plan, we will update our website and social media accounts.

Thank you!

Derek W. Heim

President & Chief Executive Officer

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South

Dear BGCMS Families,

Several of the school districts in which our Club members are enrolled as students have announced temporary closures of their facilities and the suspension of regular operations for varying lengths of time. Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South will be evaluating our plan of action on a week by week basis. 

At this time, we are announcing the temporary closure of our Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses, and the temporary suspension of our 'After the Bell' extension site programs at the Frolio Middle School in Abington, at Chatham West, and The Pine Apartments effective at 8:00 PM tonight, Friday, March 13th through next Friday, March 20th to help limit the potential spread of COVID-19. 

These closures impact all Club programs and operations, including licensed before and after school child care programs, drop-in after school programs, swimming lessons, sports leagues, specialty enrichment programs, community programs and events, and facilities rentals. 

Any decision about resumeing Clubhouse and extension site program operations will be made on a week-by-week basis. Please check back regularly for additional updates as this is a highly fluid situation. 

We want to again reassure our entire Club community that these actions are being taken out of an abundance of caution. Our hope is that by taking these preventative measures we are doing our part to help prevent the potential spread of COVID-19.

Thank you for helping to keep our Club kids safe and healthy!

Derek W. Heim

President & Chief Executive Officer

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South

Dear BGCMS Families,

Brockton Public Schools has announced the closure of all school buildings in the city on Friday, March 13th and Monday, March 16th to facilitate a deep clean of all facilities. BGCMS leadership has made the decision to follow the lead of Brockton Public Schools and will close our Brockton Clubhouse to staff and members on Friday, March 13th and Monday, March 16th to also facilitate a deep clean of our facility. 

Any decision about replicating this plan of action at our Taunton Clubhouse will be made upon the release of additional information from Taunton Public Schools regarding the district's decision(s) on closure. Please check back regularly for additional updates as this is a highly fluid situation. 

I want to reassure our entire  Club community that these actions are being taken out of an abundance of caution . Our hope is that by taking these preventative measures we are doing our part to help prevent the potential spread of COVID-19.

Thank you!

Derek W. Heim

President & Chief Executive Officer

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South

Dear BGCMS Families,

On Tuesday, March 10th, Governor Baker provided a public update on the state’s response to COVID-19 during which he declared a state of emergency. The declaration of a state of emergency will provide Massachusetts with additional funding and resources needed to combat the spread of the illness. As of this writing, the declaration will have no impact on our regularly scheduled Club programming or our existing prevention efforts.

While there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our Club community or the cities of Brockton or Taunton, there have been additional confirmed cases in our state. Please know that we are doing everything we can to prevent the spread of illness in our Clubs. 

We continue to ask that you keep your child home from the Clubs  if they are exhibiting flu-like symptoms, particularly a fever. While the risk of contracting COVID-19 remains low, we are also in the midst of flu season and appreciate your help in preventing the spread of influenza as well.

We will be following the lead of the Brockton and Taunton public school districts with regards to any potential temporary suspension of Club programming. We ask that our Club families also get a plan in place for child care in case we must close our Clubs for any length of time.  While we hope we don’t need to implement these plans, it is best to be prepared.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email me directly at dheim@bgcmetrosouth.org.

We will continue to provide regular updates.

Thank you,

Derek W. Heim

President & Chief Executive Officer

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South