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YMCA steps in to help parents amid EBR Schools fiasco
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BATON ROUGE - Frustration with the EBR Parish School System spilled into the homes of hard-working families in the community Monday as parents scrambled to find last-minute child care.
"Even though EBR schools are closed, mom and dad still need to get to work so what could we do?" said Executive Director of the YMCA Christian Engle at the Baton Rouge Press Club meeting on Monday.
As soon as YMCA administrators learned of class cancelations for Monday, they went to the drawing board to figure out a solution for desperate parents.
"We initiated yesterday and responded immediately to make sure our facilities were open for kids today," Engle said.
The YMCA opened four locations up for what they called "Emergency Holiday Camp." While the typical price per day is $27 for members and $37 for non-members, Engle said they did not turn anyone away for inability to pay the price.
"I know we have families that are in our programs today that have either paid nothing, or they may have paid $5 or they may have paid the full rate," Engle said.
To make this possible, the YMCA called in former summer camp counselors, parents and even some teachers. Children were fed lunch and helped with their homework if needed.
About 100 children between the ages of 4 and 13 were present at YMCA camps on Monday. Engle did not specify how many were at each location.
Schools in East Baton Rouge Parish are set to resume in person on Tuesday with a staggered dismissal.
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