TROUT RUN, Pa. — Primary school students from Hepburn-Lycoming School are spending their hybrid school day at Camp Susque near Trout Run. Camp Susque's new program gives parents an option to send kids to learning sites during online school days so they can go to work.
"We recognize that it's a huge need. We have children in this program and we're thinking what are we going to do with our kids on this off day? And we know from all of our friends and everybody that we work with that this is a main concern of everybody with a hybrid schedule," said Camp Susque's Jamie Sanders.
There are 120 kids already signed up for the program from Hepburn-Lycoming, Cochran, and Stevens primary schools.
Colleen Zehr is helping the 34 students at the Camp Susque learning site with their work.
"We are providing a safe supervised space for kids to do their online work on days that they aren't able to be in school because of the hybrid schedule," said Zehr.
"The educational part of our day is when we will spend the bulk of our time doing the homework that kids will be doing with their chrome books provided by WASD," said Sanders.
Learning sites are not just limited to Camp Susque. The organization has partnered with four churches in Lycoming County to welcome students on hybrid learning days. Those churches are City Alliance Church, First United Methodist Church, Lycoming Centre Presbyterian, and St. Joseph the Worker.
"These sites are hosting kids who are on their off days from the hybrid schedule so if they are going to school on Monday and Wednesday, we're hosting them on Tuesday and Thursday and each of our primary schools here, kindergarten through third will have two sites covering their students," said Sanders.
Organizers are working to get more schools in the Williamsport School District and other school districts in the county involved.
"It's in our heart to provide that to everyone and it is the heart of all our site coordinators and all the sites that we are working with," said Sanders.
The program is completely free and parents from participating schools can register their children online.