YMCA creating plan to help parents after CMS returns K-12 students home

CHARLOTTE — Parents are scrambling to find daycare options for their children now that CMS has voted to return K-12 students back to full remote learning next week.

Heide Larkin’s two kids currently go to school two days a week, and they head to the YMCA the other three days. She’s now trying to figure out if there is room for her children at the Morrison YMCA.

“I work and my husband works,” Larkin told Channel 9. “We are both working at home right now, so that is going to be difficult. We’re hoping the YMCA will have room for us on the Monday and Tuesday that they (the kids) are typically at school.”

YMCA Youth Development Director Courtney Stein said around 800 students are enrolled in their full-day program across the Charlotte area. She said they should know over the next couple of days what their plan will look like -- and how they will communicate that with families.

In the meantime, 14 branch locations just opened up applications for the YMCA’s Winter Camp Program. It’s free to families thanks to a grant by the city of Charlotte.

Students will be able to take a break from school and enjoy scheduled activities. That begins on Dec. 21.

>> In the video at the top of this page, reporter Gina Esposito takes a closer look at the remote learning options local YMCAs are offering across our area.

CMS to return to full-remote learning as COVID-19 cases surge

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