OVERVIEW
The ZACC is truly excited to be holding in-person youth art classes through the ZACC Art Academy this fall of 2020. To ensure the safety of all parties involved - staff, instructors, volunteers, and campers alike - we've implemented the following Health and Safety directives.
FOR ALL CAMPS
CONTACTLESS CHECK IN AND PICKUP
At the start of each camp day, a ZACC team member will greet families outside of a camp-dedicated building entrance to help facilitate a safe, socially distant check in process. Excluding special circumstances, parents are encouraged not to enter the building at any time. The ZACC team member assisting with check in will record camper attendance and efficiently direct students toward their class areas to prevent congestion around the front entrance. The beginning times for art camps and music camps are staggered and take place in separate parts of the building to aid in contactless check in.
Pickup times will also be staggered by camp type (Art and Rock) to allow for contactless pickup. Weather permitting, students can wait outside accompanied by ZACC staff members.
MASKS
We will require all instructors, ZACC team members, and students to wear masks at all times.
Students can bring their own masks if they have a favorite. If students do not bring a mask, we will supply one.
COMMON AREAS
Common or high-traffic areas within the ZACC building will be outfitted with appropriate signage to inform social distancing, especially at gathering points or areas vulnerable to close proximity interactions like hallways, bathroom entrances, and building exits. With five bathrooms spread over two floors, the ZACC building allows for students in either rock camps or art camps to avoid contact with students from the other camp.
HEALTH
Each morning, all staff will perform a self wellness check and will be asked not to come to work if they have a fever or present other symptoms of illness. The ZACC will provide a contactless thermometer to monitor the temperature of any child that reports feeling sick. If a student is found to have a fever they will be removed from class and sent home. We ask that parents do not send their kids to camp if there are any signs of illness. We will also remind families that any student sharing a living space with a family member who has recently travelled out of state should remain home during the mandatory two week quarantine imposed by Governor Bullock’s office.
All high-touch surfaces such as tabletops, chairs, and door handles will be sanitized at scheduled times throughout the day according to a sanitization checklist developed under the recommendation of the Missoula City-County Health Department.
TRAINING/AWARENESS
All staff will be required to undergo training in personal COVID-19 wellness checks, community safety measures, and ways to keep the learning environment fun and engaging while maintaining those safety measures. Furthermore, individual staff will be dedicated to their group of ten or less students and will not move from group to group throughout the day.
FUN AND NORMALIZATION
Although these adaptations might be a little difficult for some kids, we will do our best to make sure that camp stays fun and there is a sense of normalcy. We will conduct surveys with parents prior to camp and make sure we are putting kids in groups that feel like a good fit to them. Siblings or friends who are already spending time together outside of camp will be put in the same groups. We will provide enough staff so that smaller groups have adequate supervision. Our new facility is a big space. We have five bathrooms, multiple classrooms, and excess space to make sure everyone can keep a safe distance, stay healthy, and still move around when they need to. At the ZACC, we will continue to monitor COVID-19 in our region and follow all evolving guidelines recommended by the C.D.C. and the Missoula City-County Health Department in order to prioritize the safety of our staff, students, and everyone in the ZACC family.
CAMP SPECIFIC
ART CAMPS
All art camps will be held in the Youth Art Room and will have an enrollment of 15 kids or less. In accordance with guidelines established by the C.D.C., Governor Bullock’s office, and the Missoula City-County Health Department, campers will be broken up into two groups of ten or less and the two groups will be spaced at least 6 feet apart. Students will have an assigned seat to sit in every day and an assigned cubby for their things. Youth will be preassigned a sanitized art supply kit that they will use throughout the whole week and it will be kept in their assigned cubby. Only minimal sharing will take place between groups of ten or less. There are two sinks in the classroom. Each group will use a different sink and hand washing will be required before class, after lunch, and other times throughout the day as needed. Hand sanitizer will also be available and frequent use will be encouraged throughout each lesson.
ROCK CAMPS
All Rock Camps will have enrollment of 20 students or less. Students will meet in the ZACC Show Room as a home base for the larger group at the beginning and end of the day and for any group activities. Students will be broken up into two socially distanced groups of ten which will consist of two bands each. Each band will be assigned one instructor leader.
Throughout the day, only two bands will be downstairs at a time working on their song. The other two bands will stay in the Show Room or divide into the conference room upstairs for song writing. Campers will workshop their songs for each other on the ZACC Show Room stage.
Instruments and bands will be predetermined based on a survey sent home to parents and students prior to camp. Students will be encouraged to bring their own instruments if they have them. If not, each child will be issued a sanitized instrument at the beginning of the week and they will not share instruments. Drums may be shared only on the main stage, but each camper will have their own sticks and the shared drum set will be wiped down with sanitizer between users. Campers will have the opportunity to personalize guitar picks, use them throughout the week, and keep them at the end of camp. Each singer will have a dedicated personal microphone for the entire week. At the end of each week, all instruments will be thoroughly sanitized. Campers will eat lunch with their same groups of ten and each camper will have a designated area to keep their things. Campers will be required to wash their hands each morning prior to starting camp, at lunch, and at other times throughout the day. Hand sanitizer will also be available to all Rock Camp students and frequent use will be encouraged throughout the day.
PERFORMANCES
The Missoula Downtown Association will be allowing us to use the Caras Park stage for all of our summer camp performances. We are so excited about this as we think it will be much more safe and fun for the kids to perform outside, and we will be able to allow more loved ones to see their performances from a good safe distance. Caras is just a block away from our new downtown location so it will be easy to get there. All performances will take place at 3pm on Fridays.
COVID & CAMP CANCELLATIONS
Please visit our Cancellation Policies page for more information on how we are managing cancellations caused by COVID19.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
Please use the following form to send us your questions, comments, or concerns, and our Education and Volunteer Coordinator, Joseph Kirk, will get back to you. Thank you!
