As Mobile County schools shifted to a week of remote instruction amid a staffing crunch and climbing COVID-19 numbers, the Boys & Girls Clubs stepped in with a practical answer for working families: open the clubs.
Five branch locations across the county welcomed students during the virtual learning week, giving parents who could not stay home from work a supervised place for their children to complete schoolwork.
Where Kids Could Go
The participating sites were the Bernard Malkove Branch on Cody Road, the Kiwanis Branch on Rice Street, the Semmes Branch on Wulff Road, the East Optimist Branch on Plaza Drive, and the Sonny Callahan Branch on Carol Plantation Road. Each operated from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday of the virtual week.
Access was free for existing club members, while non-members paid a $30 membership registration fee to use the Learning Resource Centers.
Safety Rules and Remote Classrooms
Club officials described the centers as safe spaces for remote learning, with mask requirements, temperature checks, and students bringing their own lunches.
The school district’s remote format itself had changed since the early pandemic. Rather than live-streamed classes, teachers posted lessons and assignments in Schoology for students to complete on their own schedules, while elementary students received paper packets sent home.
Club leaders said they did not know exactly how many families would show up, but the need was clear: many parents in Mobile County simply have no way to stay home with their children when classrooms go quiet.