CAMPS TALCOTT, MCALISTER AND GREENKILL PERMANENTLY SHUTTER
Dear Campers,
It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that, after a thorough and difficult review, the YMCA has decided to permanently close and sell our sleepaway camp and outdoor education operations at Camps Talcott, McAlister, and Greenkill.
This painful decision was not made lightly, and we are heartbroken that circumstances have compelled us to take this action. We know our sleepaway camps have meant so much to generations of campers and staff. The memories and friendships formed at camp are priceless and irreplaceable. They will undoubtedly last a lifetime. I am truly sorry we are unable to continue offering the joyous experience of summer at sleepaway camp.
The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the YMCA’s revenue, resulting in losses of $100 million. For years, our sleepaway camp operations have depended on the organization’s financial support. Unfortunately, our current and projected financial condition has left us unable to continue providing that support.
We are committed to continuing our support of the YMCA camp movement and are exploring how to use our endowment to send children to other neighboring and partner Y camps. We will be in touch with you with more information.
I want to thank each and every staff member who has ever worked at our camp, especially those who were with us until last year. I want to thank our Board of Managers and donors for their leadership and commitment. And I want to thank all of our campers, families, and the local community for your support over the years. All of you are what made our camps so wonderful and special.
Please stay safe and healthy during this difficult time and take care.
The camp office remains open for the time being if you have any questions. You can reach us at 845-858-2200 or by email at camps@ymcanyc.org.
Warm wishes,
Thad
THAD GIFFORD-SMITH Executive Director New York YMCA Camps
New York’s outdoor amusement parks that were shuttered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic can reopen at limited capacity in April — and summer camps across the Empire State should “plan on reopening” in June, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.
Outdoor amusement parks can reopen on April 9 at 33 percent capacity, with COVID-19 safety protocols in place like mask-wearing and social distancing, the governor announced on a conference call with reporters.
“Rides or attractions that cannot be socially distanced must remain closed,” Cuomo explained.
“Indoor family entertainment centers” can also reopen beginning March 26 at 25 percent capacity, Cuomo said — though it wasn’t immediately clear what falls under that umbrella.
Cuomo did not give an exact date for when New York’s overnight summer camps can reopen from their coronavirus-induced closures, beyond that they can plan on reopening in June.
“We hope the current trajectory [of coronavirus positivity rates] stays until June,” said Cuomo.
Summer camps must have coronavirus testing protocols in place to reopen, he said.
New York state’s COVID-19 positivity rate has been trending down, with the latest positive testing rate for the bug at 3.58 percent, data shows.
The statewide COVID-19 infection rate on a seven-day rolling average has declined for 40 straight days, with the latest rate at 3.6 percent, Cuomo said, noting that it’s the lowest for the seven-day average since Nov. 28.
In the last 24 hours, 109 New Yorkers died as a result of the coronavirus, “even with all that progress,” said Cuomo.
The rate of total hospitalizations for COVID-19 dropped by 46, bringing the statewide total to 6,574, according to state data.
CAMPENINGS IS BACK! PLEASE SEND ALL YOUR CAMP NEWS TO CAMPENINGS@GMAIL.COM, ALONG WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS YOU HAVE ABOUT CAMP THIS SUMMER. COMING SOON: THE CAMPENINGS NEWSLETTER.
A federal judge on Monday refused to grant a temporary order allowing Orthodox Jewish sleepaway camps in the Catskills to open in spite of a state ban on overnight children’s camps this summer because of coronavirus concerns.
In a 43-page ruling, Chief Judge Glenn Suddaby of the Northern District of New York expressed sympathy for the religious beliefs of the affected families, but said he also “must acknowledge the extenuating circumstances of the COVID-19 virus and its impact throughout the world.”
“Although the State of New York has made progress in limiting the transmission of the virus in recent weeks, the recent resurgence of positive COVID-19 cases in several states raises concerns and is a painful reminder that the fight is far from over,” Suddaby wrote.
He also concluded that allowing overnight camps to open would bring children from more densely populated areas and other states to rural areas with low COVID-19 levels and limited hospital beds to handle any surge in virus cases.
The underlying lawsuit challenging the state order is still pending, although it may soon be moot. Some overnight camps already have begun operating as day camps – which were allowed to open in New York last week – by busing campers back and forth each day, apparently from as far away as Brooklyn.
Sullivan County has 169 active children’s camps of all types, and Ulster County has 74, according to the state Department of Health. As of last Monday, 37 Sullivan day camps had started up and five more were about to do so. Ulster had four open day camps and was expected to have another two by this week.
The lawsuit against Gov. Andrew Cuomo was brought by the Association of Jewish Camp Operators, which represents 75 Orthodox camps attended by more than 40,000 children each summer, according to the court papers. The plaintiffs argued that the decision announced on June 12 to prohibit overnight camps would block an essential part of the religious upbringing of Orthodox children and violated religious rights.
They also cast the state as hypocritical for allowing other activities with equal or worse exposure risks, emphasizing the many street protests that followed the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in late May.Get the Daily Briefing newsletter in your inbox.
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In past summers, more than 200,000 kids in all attended roughly 550 overnight camps in New York. The state’s.attorneys argued in court papers last week that the prohibition applied to all of those camps, regardless of any religious affiliation, and that the plaintiffs were seeking an exemption from a decision that had sound health reasons.
“That determination was rationally made on the basis that overnight camps involve children and adults sleeping and eating in close proximity in an enclosed space for an extended period of time, greatly increasing the risk of spread of the virus,” wrote Chris Liberati-Conant, an assistant attorney general.
He pointed out that during a flu outbreak in 2009, 1,600 campers or staff members in New York are known to have caught the illness, almost all of them at overnight camps.
Attorneys for the camp operators responded that the closure was indeed discriminatory because “only Jewish overnight camps were attempting to operate this summer by the time of Defendant’s announcement.” They also accused the state of not respecting the significance of religion-infused camping.
“Defendant gives no weight whatsoever to this critical religious activity,” the attorneys wrote. “Defendant does not value it, and therefore sees no reason to accommodate it.”
The association had sent Cuomo a letter on May 10 imploring him to allow overnight camps to open and outlining the health precautions it had developed with doctors to avoid coronavirus infections. They argued that overnight camps were “the safest place for campers” and staff because they could be locked down and no one came and went.
The Department of Health told camp operators in a recent letter that many of them had gotten permits to open as “temporary residences,” and warned them about the mandates they would have to follow, including a requirement that parents stay overnight with their children.
The department didn’t respond to questions from the Times Herald-Record about how many camps got those permits. In a statement to the Record last week, officials said the prohibition on overnight camps was based on science and meant to protect children, and vowed to stop any attempts to get around the ban.
“While we understand the disappointment of families and camp operators alike, the Department intends to investigate any attempts to circumvent this directive and will also ensure that camps with valid permits for day camp operations are in compliance with all pandemic guidelines,” the statement read.
ALBANY — New York will not allow sleep-away summer camps to operate this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement Friday, State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said the decision comes down to the difficulty of managing social distancing and other safety measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.
“Overnight camps have congregate settings and sleeping arrangements in close quarters that present too many risks,” Zucker said. “In such a setting, even a single positive case in a camper or staff member could create an untenable quarantine situation and overwhelm camp health personnel that may not be able to handle a serious infectious outbreak of this nature.”
A day earlier, Orthodox Jewish children took to the streets of Brooklyn calling for sleep-away camps to open.
“We want camp, we want camp,” dozens of kids riding bikes and scooters shouted as they rode through the streets of Williamsburg urging Gov. Cuomo to allow their beloved camps to operate for the summer.
Gov. Cuomo has repeatedly cast doubt on the idea of opening them up as kids across the state came down with a mysterious inflammatory condition linked to coronavirus in recent weeks.
The governor said earlier this month that, were his twenty-something daughters younger, he would feel comfortable sending them to sleep-away camp.
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“Today? I would not be willing to send my daughter to sleep away camp. I would not,” he said during an interview on Long Island Radio last week.
Day camps, meanwhile, are allowed to operate in the state and can open on June 29 with strict safety measures in place.
As per the guidelines, counselors at day camps must wear a mask or face covering any time they are fewer than six feet from one another or interacting with campers.
The size of groups must be limited to no more than 10 children, not including employees or staff, and the same kids should remain with the same staffers whenever and wherever possible.
Schools have been shuttered since mid-March as the city became the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S.
The state’s day camp decision came after Mayor de Blasio had already canceled all city-run camps.
Gov. Cuomo said day camps can open on June 29. (Shutterstock)
Communities breathed a collective sigh of relief over news that summer day camps in the city can open for business later this month, but skeptical moms and dads worry that may be easier said than done.
After weeks of worry over what to do with restless children bored with Google classroom and itching to go outside, Gov. Cuomo — boosted by good news in the battle against coronavirus, — gave the OK on Tuesday for day camps to restart operations.
But critics said the summer camp decree is hardly a ray of sunshine. And without precise guidelines for parents on how to keep their children safe, many kids will be bunking in their bedrooms.
“We’re going to go a couple of weeks and spend some time with close family,” said Andrea Brustein, an Upper West Side lawyer whose two kids usually go to sleepaway camp. “They’ll get to play with their cousins for a couple of weeks. Then after that I don’t know.”
Brustein, 42, said her 8-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter took it kind of hard when their usual summer spot was closed because of coronavirus.
Andrea Brustein with her family. Husband, Michael Firestone, daughter Renata Firestone and son Alex Firestone. (Andrea Brustein)
And as much as she would like to make the sad faces disappear, Brustein said she is not ready to take the chance at Camp Question Mark.
“Even if there was a way to have people at camp and have it be safe, it wouldn’t have felt like camp,” Brustein said. “Nasal swabs and temperature checks. It just wouldn’t feel right.”
There are no plans for nasal swabs at Asphalt Green’s two Manhattan summer camps, but kids will start their day with some quality thermometer time.
Camp Director Katie Duffy, who runs Asphalt Green’s Upper East Side and Battery Park sites, said temperature checks will be part of the daily health screenings that will start each child’s day.
That’s not all that’s different. Instead of 800 daily campers, counselors will play host to only 200 kids to accommodate social distancing. Equipment will be sanitized between uses, and activities will be more structured and closely monitored, Duffy said. There will be no field trips.
Even lunch will be different. Instead of family-style feasts, meals will be pre-plated to cut down on the number of mitts touching the food.
And there will be lots of hand washing, Duffy said. Lots and lots of handwashing.
“We’re taking a look at everything in camp from the second it starts to the second it ends,” Duffy explained. “We wouldn’t be opening if we didn’t feel confident we can run a safe camp.”
Among those applauding Cuomo’s decision to reopen is the American Camp Association of New York and New Jersey.
“Camp is essential for childcare in New York during the summer months as well as beneficial for children’s mental well-being and we are thrilled that he has recognized the importance of these small businesses,” the group said. “We are hopeful the governor will consider opening New York overnight camps as they provide similar benefits for children and parents. Our camp operators are now anxiously awaiting the immediate release of guidance by the Department of Health so camps can continue to plan for opening at the end of the month.”
But no matter how much hand sanitizer and social distancing, summer camp won’t get off the ground unless parents buy in, said City Councilman Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn).
We are happy to let you know that this past Tuesday Governor Cuomo gave permission for day camps to open this summer! This was the first part of what we needed to be able to open. The second part is to receive the mandatory guidelines from the New York State Department of Health for summer camps to make sure we can realistically implement them. We are hoping to receive them any day now, but without these guidelines, we are unable to finalize and communicate our plans to you.
Here is where we are:
We must wait until we receive the state’s guidelines from the Department of Health so we can review them and make sure we are able to implement them.
Our original start date of Monday, June 29th will have to be pushed back. We are unable to give a definite starting date without receiving the state guidelines. As long as we receive the guidelines shortly, we anticipate being ready to open on Monday, July 13th.
Once we can officially commit to opening, we will provide you with a set start date and our Covid-19 safety protocols. It is at that time that we will need a definitive answer from our camp families as to whether or not you plan to attend. You will be able to reselect your session at that time.
If you are already 100% sure that you are not attending this summer, and only if you are 100% sure, please email the office at office@ramapocamp.com so we can take you off our 2020 camper list. If you do not email us, we expect that you are able to wait a little longer before making a final decision.
We plan on sending our next email as soon as we receive the guidelines from the Department of Health.
We know this is a very difficult time for everyone and uncertainty only makes it harder. We want you to know that the Ramapo team is doing everything it can to be able to open camp safely this summer. Our next email should follow shortly and we thank you for your patience. Please continue to stay well,
A decision on when and whether to reopen sleepaaway camps in New York will come next week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday.
Cuomo said state health officials are “furiously” researching the rare Kawasaki-like inflammatory disease that has sickened more than 100 children in anticipation of green-lighting sleep-away camps this summer.
“We have to have a decision in about a week,” the governor told Jay Oliver on Long Island News Radio.
“I’m making that decision as if it were my daughter,” the dad of three daughters added. “Today, I would not be willing to send my daughter to sleep-away camp. If I’m not sending my daughter, I’m not going to tell you you can send your child.”
Day camps across the state are allowed to open June 29, though health guidelines have not yet been issued.
ALBANY – New York will allow summer day camps to open starting June 29, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.
The announcement comes after weeks of uncertainty over whether summer camps would be allowed to open as the state looks to reopen businesses that were shuttered in late March due to the coronavirus.
Cuomo said as the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths decline, summer day camps can start to open at the end of the month. He said no decision has been made on sleepaway camps.
“We’re doing very, very well when it comes to dealing with the COVID-19 crisis,” Cuomo said Tuesday.
So, he added, “Summer day camps are going to open on June 29. We’re still reviewing the situation with sleepaway camps.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said June 2, 2020, that summer camps can reopen June 29. (Photo: Joseph Spector, USA TODAY Network New York)
The state has yet to release its safety guidelines for summer camps, but they have been preparing a series of steps to keep the children and staff safe.
Those are likely to include a limited number of campers, attempts at social distancing, the wearing of masks when need be and stronger sanitary measures.
Upstate New York is largely in Phase 2 of a four-phase reopening plan, and recreation, such as camps, fall into Phase 4.
But by setting a specific date for summer camps, it give them time to plan to open.
The YMCA of Greater Rochester, for example, said it plans to open June 29. It will give each camper a health screening each morning and require campers will stay in groups of 10.
Camps said they were awaiting state guidance on their next steps. They have stressed that as businesses reopen, workers need places for their children this summer.
“Camp is essential for childcare in NY during the summer months as well as beneficial for children’s mental well-being, and we are thrilled that (Cuomo) has recognized the importance of these small businesses,” the New York State Camp Directors Association said.Get the Coronavirus Watch newsletter in your inbox.
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“We are hopeful the Governor will consider opening NY overnight camps as they provide similar benefits for children and parents. Our camp operators are now anxiously awaiting the immediate release of guidance by the Department of Health so camps can continue to plan for opening at the end of the month.”
From day one this has been the fight of our lives, both personally and professionally. As Camp Directors we live for the work that we do, for you and with you. We have now explored every path. We have truly left no stone unturned and having come so far, it makes it all the more difficult to share with you, with profound sadness and the heaviest of hearts, that we will not be able to open camp for Summer 2020. Not even for a Taste of Echo.
In the most challenging of times we lean on our family. For us, that’s you. We have always felt a certain responsibility to be there, not just as a summer camp for children, but as a second home. For 96 years that is what Camp Echo has been for tens of thousands of Echoites. There is no doubting the incredible impact that camp has had on our lives, the friendships it has created, the memories, the moments – it’s hard to just let that go. Even more so when those are the things we need most right now.
Every decision we have made along the way has been to exhaust all options and fulfill our promise to you. After weeks and months of being told that camp-specific guidance was coming from the State, we felt we owed it to everyone to at least review it. This guidance never came and as much as we want to hold out hope that this summer is still possible, it simply no longer is.
We are so sorry. In being part of this family you know how all of us wanted to deliver even some of camp for you. As we searched for words to write this letter, knowing there are no words to describe the raw emotions that you are feeling right now, we looked to Camp Echo’s history to describe how we are feeling but it was last summer’s Fiji Alma Mater that so perfectly describes this moment:
It’s hard to walk away, from the family we became The pain of leaving you is too much to bear Though time has won this fight, side by side we stand tonight One by one the hours seem to fade
Can we just stay here forever I can feel time slip away Don’t close your eyes and let these moments fly Just listen, hear me say You have changed me for the better Life would never be the same Don’t hold your breath, don’t ever be afraid Blue and white binds us together And forever we’ll remain
To our campers — please don’t forget that Camp Echo is your friendships, your bunkmates, your counselors, your memories, and your family. It’s this community that will get us through — until next summer where we can all be together “under trees that touch the sky”. Please check in and take care of one another.
For our new campers, we will find new and creative ways to introduce you to our incredible community. You are a big part of this Camp Echo family and we will make it our personal mission to share with you the magic that makes Camp Echo the special place that it is.
Whenever it is safe to do so, we will find ways to bring you together. We need it just as badly as you do.
In the coming days, we will be touching base with each family to share specifics on financial refunds and rollovers for tuition, Camp Echo Shop purchases, Camp Trucking, and CampMeds. We appreciate your patience and understanding here as we work through these items.
We must thank you for your unwavering support. It means the world to us and rest assured that we will work tirelessly to ensure Summer 2021 is worth the wait.
CAMPENINGS 