To the Metro Detroit Youth Clubs community:
Throughout the past eighteen months of the COVID pandemic, Metro Detroit Youth Clubs has prioritized the health and safety of our Club members and their families. During this time, MDYC has been innovative and creative in delivering programs and services designed to meet our Club members’ needs. The MDYC professional team has been focused on academic assistance, social emotional support, mentoring and meeting basic needs throughout this most challenging time. The return to in-person programming this summer underscored the importance and impact of our in-person programming. And while that is true, we also know that our Club families have been hit hard by this pandemic. The loss of grandparents, parents and direct caregivers of our Club members will have a lasting impact on our MDYC families.
As we look forward, currently we are seeing COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to be a growing concern in Southeastern Michigan. Today, Michigan is experiencing record hospitalizations, averaging over 7,000 cases per day, and maintaining over 200,000 active cases of COVID-19. All together, these statistics are a greater concern than they were when MDYC first determined that it would be necessary to delay a return to in-person programming this fall. However, over the last few weeks, we have seen the authorization of vaccines for youth ages 5-11 and vaccine boosters approved for all MDYC parents, guardians and grandparents. These are significant steps forward for those seeking protection from COVID and will help us collectively move forward in reducing the amount of virus in the community.
Relevant Links
- MI Safe Start Map – Track the risk levels of COVID-19 indicators
- Hospitalizations reach new record in Michigan (WDIV Channel 4; 11/29/2021)
- Feds send 2 medical teams to support Michigan COVID surge (WDIV Channel 4; 11/24/2021)
- COVID-19 outbreak forces shift to virtual learning at Michigan high school (WWMT-TV; 9/15/2021)
Weekly, we continue to review the health data and consult with our partners at the local, county, state and federal levels to determine when a return to in-person will be considered safe. We have established the following criteria that will lead to our ability to return to in-person programming. First, the seven-day, county COVID transmission level, as reported by the State of Michigan and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), must be in the moderate (yellow) to low (green) range for community spread. Second, the decision to return to in-person programming will need to be in alignment with guidance from the CDC, the State of Michigan Health Department, the county health department and the local municipality. We will provide two weeks notice by email and here on our website prior to returning to in-person programming.
MDYC also believes the return to in-person school instruction for our Club members is critically important. The MDYC criteria for a return to in-person programming limits the risk of MDYC contributing to COVID outbreaks and school shutdowns within the communities we serve.
These decisions continue to be reached with the health and safety of the MDYC Club members, staff and volunteers and their families first in mind. We will continue to provide updates as our decision-making continues to evolve. We will share any potential updates as quickly as possible. We appreciate your understanding. If your Club member is in need of immediate support in any way, please email rachel.frank@miclubs.org