CARENCRO — As parents continue planning for the upcoming school year, many are faced with the challenge of where to send their children when they have to be at work.
Most of Acadiana's school districts' back to school plans include virtual learning, either on a hybrid schedule or, in the case of St. Landry Parish, all online learning.
And that's leaving some parents in a pickle. The Carencro sports complex is hoping to fill that void.
"My parents work and it's just hard. A few days I could work from home, but that's not really an option right now, because we kind of exhausted that," Ariel Munnerlyn said.
Munnerlyn is one of many parents who quickly adapted to her eight-year-old son being at home during the pandemic.
"My husband and I both work full time, so we need somewhere safe for him to come and be able to learn, but be able to do activities and not look at a computer all day," Munnerlyn said.
She now plans to bring her son to alternative school camp at the Carencro Sports Complex starting August 16th.
"We jumped on that as soon as we could," she added.
"We'll have a teachers to help with their homework" complex director Micheal Woodall explained.
Tables will be spread out across the four fields, providing social distancing space for students to sit with their lap tops.
"Then I figured at 2:00 we'll do a P.E. class for each age group for a good 30 minutes, then let them go back to their laptops until their parents pick them up at 5:30," Woodall said.
Mask will be required for children 8 and older and temperatures will be taken as soon as students arrive.
"If for some reason your child gets sick, we'll call you to come get them right away," explained Woodall, "and isolate them in another room so they're not around other kids."
Families will be responsible for packing their child's lunch or providing money for the concession stand.
Due to COVID restrictions, 150 people are allowed in the building. Woodall said he has been in contact with State Fire Marshal Butch Browning, who approved the camp. The nine-week camp cost $375.00. It is open to children ages 5-14 from any town/parish.
Learn more about the camp here.
