SAY Play is Re-opening to Host a Summer Camp!

The SAY Detroit Play Center (SDPC) Summer Program offers dynamic academic, artistic, athletic, and social engagement for up to 50 students aged 8-14, entirely free of charge.  Our staff is trained, loving, and engaged, and was able to provide a student to camp counselor ratio of 12 to 1.  Our facility is fantastic:  a full size court donated by the Detroit Pistons, a softball and baseball field donated by the Detroit Tigers, a full size football field donated by the Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, a professional music studio provided by the national organization Notes for Notes, a dance studio, an art studio and a spacious learning area.

Program Details

• Students must be engaged participants in all activities.
• Students must exhibit excellent citizenship. This includes all participants being respectful to all young people in the program, all adults and interns, and to themselves.
• Students must adhere to all safety protocols throughout the summer.
• Students must meet all attendance requirements. (However, students who are sick or displaying symptoms of COVID-19 will be asked to stay home.)

Parent Commitment

• Parents must sign the parent agreement, which states:

I fully support the SAY Detroit Play Center and its staff in its goals to promote academic, artistic, physical education, and athletic development during my child’s participation at SDPC. Thus, I will fully support excellent citizenship and attendance at SDPC as a means of assisting in providing my child with the best possible educational and social development experience. This includes making myself available for phone, and if necessary, in person conferences to support my child’s growth in positive participation and citizenship.

• Provide a 2019/2020 school year full transcript or all four report cards on school letterhead. If you are unable to get your child’s transcript due to the closing of schools due to COVID-19, please be prepared to share your recollection of your child(ren)’s grades as well as reading, writing and math abilities at our parent orientation.
• Required parent attendance at pre-meeting, mid-camp meeting, and post-meeting.
• Your child’s enrollment in the SAY Detroit Play Center Summer Camp can only be secured by the attendance of a parent or guardian at parent orientation. Due to COVID-19, all accepted children must attend orientation with their parent. Orientation meetings will be held on July 1st and July 2nd. scheduled as applications are received.  Please call SAY Play to schedule your in-person orientation as soon as you submit your application at (313) 305-4728. 
• Parents who apply after July 2nd will need to bring their child(ren) to the SAY Detroit Family Health Clinic (211 Glendale Ave, Highland Park | Map / directions here) for free diagnostic testing before their child(ren) can attend.
• Honor your child’s attendance requirements and submit notices regarding excused absences as listed below.
• Because we are limiting non-staff contact, parents must do pick-up and drop-off outside of the Center. This will require that parents arrive early for both drop off and pick up so that students do not end up waiting in groups unintentionally.

Attendance Requirements

These attendance requirements are designed to ensure that your child(ren) have an optimal educational experience. If young people are absent they miss learning. We want a shared commitment to giving your child a good educational experience.

• There will be 23 summer session days. Students will report each day to the summer program no later than 8:25 a.m. A student who is tardy more than three times may be dismissed from the program.  If a child wants breakfast, they must arrive at the Center between 8:30 a.m. and 8:40 a.m.
• Written absence excuses must be provided.
• Students must attend a minimum of 20 days unless they bring us written evidence that they had an illness (especially displaying COVID-19 symptoms) or death in the family that kept them out of programming longer.
• Students may miss up to 4 consecutive days (or a week) for family activities/vacation with written notification at least three days in advance.
• Students must do make-up academic work in order to remain in the program. If they have a planned absence, they should take the work with them and bring it back upon their return.  If the absence is unplanned, they must take it and complete it within 24 hours of their return.  We will provide support for students to do their make-up work on-site the day that they return.

Safety Protocols

• Respecting a physical distancing of 6 feet or more at all times.
• Proper mask wearing – over nose and mouth  – when indoors at all times, except when eating or drinking.
• Sneezing and coughing into their elbow, tissue or paper towel.
• Washing and sanitizing hands when requested to do so and when they know they have touched their eyes, mouth, or nose.
• Listening and following all safety protocol directions when inside and outside of the Center during camp hours.
• Regular COVID-19 diagnostic testing of staff and students (provided free, on-site through mobile testing center or at SAY Detroit Family Health Clinic)
• Parents must report if they, a family, member or their child attending SDPC camp has COVID-19 symptoms or seems unwell (the symptoms as related to children continues to be learned, so notification of any symptoms of illness could be important).