Guidance for Summer Programs Opening in Yellow and Green Phases

Gov. Tom Wolf announced on May 22 that summer programs for children and pools can operate in counties that are in the yellow and green phases of the state’s COVID-19 phased reopening plan.

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Summer programs that provide child care and enrichment, as well as recreational activities, for children and youth can operate without a waiver in yellow and green phases as long as providers follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for Youth and Summer Camps and the CDC supplemental guidance for Child Care That Remain Open.

Note: As of May 15, the City of Pittsburgh announced summer camps would remain closed.

Programs must develop a written health and safety plan that follows the CDC guidance for Youth and Summer Camps and post the plan on the summer program’s publicly available website prior to providing services to children.

Steps that providers should take include:

  • Partaking in frequent hand washing.

  • Requiring all staff to wear face masks/coverings. Children are not required to wear masks.

  • Intensifying cleaning, disinfection and ventilation of facilities.

  • Ensuring physical distancing, such as maintaining appropriate staff to child ratios, restricting the mixing of groups, and spacing out seating to six feet apart if possible.

  • Requiring staff and children to be screened for illness—people with a temperature greater than 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit should stay home or be sent home.

  • Staggering drop off and pick up, if possible.

  • Creating a handbook or fact sheet with the COVID-19 policy and requiring parents to sign it.

The CDC also published a decision tree to assist directors or administrators in making reopening decisions regarding youth programs and camps during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information and details, read the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Summer Recreation, Camps and Pools FAQ or the Allegheny County Health and Safety Guidance for School Age Day Camps.

View a printable checklist for families with questions for early learning providers during COVID-19. (PDF)

News, Families, ProvidersHeidi Winklercovid-19, summer programs, tom wolf, summer camp, social distance, youth and summer camps, cdc, Centers for Disease Control, child care, Allegheny County Health Department, pennsylvania department of health