COVID-19 Information from the Child Safety and Reunification Team
If you or a family member feel sick, please follow the CDC guidelines.Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statewide "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order on March 23. The order requires all Washington residents to stay at home, except when:
- Pursuing an essential activity, like shopping for groceries or going to a medical appointment.
- Getting takeout food. (Food deliveries also are permitted.)
- Going to work at an essential business.
- Going outside for walks and exercise, as long as social distancing of six feet is maintained.
Effective immediately: All gatherings of people for social, spiritual, and recreational purposes are prohibited. This applies to both private and public gatherings, which include everything from sleepovers for children to weddings and funerals. All of these type of events must be postponed for public health and safety.SUMMER PLANNINGBainbridge Metro Parks & Recreation is planning for summer including on-line programming, “camp-in-a-bag” supply programs, face-to-face programming, and hybrid programming. Stay tuned for more information.In the meantime, check out the new Recreation Reimagined Virtual Programming.Also be on the lookout in your email inbox for the weekly “Parker Post” newsletter that includes online resources, virtual activities, recipes, virtual tours, exercises, and all of sorts of ways to fill our new abundance of leisure time.Boys & Girls Club is still finalizing their summer camp programming including how many kids will be able to attend and final details. These summer camps will start on June 22nd. For more information contact Cat Thompson at cmthompson@positiveplace.orgCHILD CARE UPDATESThe Boys & Girls Club is still open from 8:00 am- 5:30 pm to take in children from essential/critical workers. We will resume taking in children from nonessential workers when the stay-at-home order is lifted. If the child is already a member, care is free. If he or she is not a member you must pay the one-time $50 membership fee (the membership fee covers the cost of the insurance needed to run the Club). Any nonessential employee child can attend the Club for $25 per day/child. Please note, Boys and Girls Club will never turn away a child in need. We can only have up to 18 kids per day, and there is plenty of room left, but please call ahead.MENTAL HEALTHFirst Aid Arts has been collaborating with the Bainbridge Prepares Child Safety Team for some time to create Psychological First Aid kits for family and school emergency kits. They are offering a free mini-PFA toolkit here.Connections Café is a free virtual Cafe is hosted by Raising Resilience “to help our parenting community come together (while keeping their distance) to process and implement the shift in our daily lives.” Access it here.OUTDOOR RECREATIONBainbridge Metro Parks & RecreationEarlier this week, Governor Jay Inslee began easing restrictions within his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. His address lays out the plan to the reopening of State parks and the loosening of limitations on outdoor recreational activities such as day-use of public lands and fishing. Public gatherings and team sports still are not allowed.With these revised guidelines, Bainbridge Island Metro Parks & Recreation District will be reopening most of our parking areas. Playgrounds, sports courts, and shelters will remain closed, and a limited number of restrooms will be open.All visitors are asked to continue following CDC guidelines and the Leave No Trace 7 principles of safe park use. Please recreate responsibly and help us keep parks open.Please direct any questions to recreation@biparks.org.FOOD FOR KIDS AND FAMILIESHelpline House is now offering curbside distribution of two boxes of food for Bainbridge Islanders. This service is being provided by Helpline staff only; all volunteers are honoring the Governor’s order to Stay Home, Stay Healthy. In addition, each child in the family gets a Kids’ Pantry Bag, which contains kid-friendly foods, with each visit. For example, a family of two parents and three kids would receive the two boxes and three Kids' Pantry Bags.Food distribution is Monday-Friday, noon-4 pm. Kids’ Pantry Bags are currently being offered.Although Helpline is still accepting food donations, what they are requesting is donations of cash so that they can leverage bulk purchases, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. If you are interested in donating, please contact Helpline House at https://www.helplinehouse.org/donate.Grab and Go Lunch from BISD is still ongoing. Grab and Go Lunches are distributed at Ordway Elementary, located at 8555 Madison Avenue, Monday-Thursday between 11 am and 12:30 pm. Youth must be present to receive a meal (no pick-ups for others).THE COVID REALITYAfter three years of planning, our team has been activated to assist Bainbridge Island families through the current COVID-19 health emergency. Our hope is to get you as much information as quickly as possible regarding childcare options on the Island during the crisis, along with resources you can use to help keep your families safe and engaged in positive activities. Please note, Bainbridge Prepares is not providing childcare.As a reminder, just because school is on recess does not mean our children are on vacation. Please comply with all social distancing guidelines issued by the State of Washington. This is not the time to be scheduling “family only” or “just friends” activities or even playdates. Sheltering-in-place is a great practice right now. If you are unable to work from home and your normal childcare plans have been disrupted, here are updates regarding childcare availability, distance learning, work at home tips, and youth mental health resources.Because this situation is fluid, please be sure to check the County Public Health Department websites daily for updates:
"MADE GO DESIGN | KIDS PLAY" by Hey!Cheese Photography is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.