WESTFIELD – After months of planning the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield opened its doors for its regular summer programming on June 29.

Kellie Brown, the Boys and Girls Club’s director of operations, said she was happy to finally start their regular summer schedule.

“The other day I was out greeting families for the first time and I have to be honest it wasn’t done without teary eyes. One child opened up the car door, stood outside, looked at the front of the building and said, ‘I’m finally home,’ and I think that’s how we all feel, we have our family back,” Brown said.

In order to keep up with the current social distancing guidelines, everything has been set up to be in a classroom setting with 6 feet between each desk. She said, “Right now things are set up classroom style so they each have an individual desk, and we really had to get creative coming up with things they can do at or around their desk areas.”

Brown added that while the children are required to wear masks while they are up and about inside, they can take them off at their desks or during outdoor activities.

One of the unique ways that social distancing has changed the program is its pickup and drop off system.

“Parents are not allowed in the building, they have to stay in their car and are asked if they have experienced any symptoms of COVID or if their children have been exposed,” Brown said, “Pickup works exactly the same way, we have eight designated spots on the side of the building and the kids come out one by one and brought to their parents’ parking spot.”

She added that the club spray painted different symbols on the sidewalk that are six feet apart so the children are spaced out if the line is backed up during drop off in the morning.

In a typical year she said the children are hesitant to leave their parents’ sides, but this year has been different. She said, “Usually that first day of summer program you always have that child that doesn’t want to leave mom, dad or gram. I haven’t experienced that all, every child getting out of the car is really happy and I can see the smiles under their masks because their whole expression changes.”

With so much uncertainty with how schools are going to look in the fall, Brown said that she hopes families can feel a sense of normalcy and get an idea of what it may look like. “One of the biggest things that I’m hoping benefits the families in this process is that whatever school looks like this fall they’ll at least have an idea, so maybe some of that anxiety that kids and families have can be alleviated,” she said.

While the program is nearing its capacity, Brown said that residents interested in signing their children up can give her a call at the Boys and Girls Club to at least be put on the waiting list.

She added that she wanted to thank families for putting their faith in the Boys and Girls Club to take care of their children in a difficult time. She said, “I just want to thank the families for entrusting the Boys and Girls Club. It’s because of them that we are able to do what we do every day, and I want them to know how grateful we are for them as I know they are for us.”