Medalta, Esplanade Set to Offer Camps as Teacher Strike Looms

Kids boarding a bus on Thursday. With a teachers’ strike set to begin on Monday, Medalta and the Esplanade are offering programming. (Photo Alex McCuaig)

Medalta and the Esplanade will be offering programing for kids as Alberta teachers and the provincial government appear to be ready to shut schools down due to labour strife.

Medalta will be launching its Autum Adventures Day Camp from 9. am to 4 pm for children aged 5 to 12 starting on Monday and currently scheduled for the next two weeks.

“Campers will spend their days exploring with scavenger hunts, science experiments, art projects, outdoor games, and of course—clay creations they’ll be proud to bring home,” according to Medalta’s website.

As of Friday afternoon, Oct. 7 is fully booked though there are openings every other day over the next two weeks.

The Esplanade will also be hosting its Pop-Up Art Days for children ages 5 to 10, however, the first two weeks are already sold out.

Parents are encouraged to be added to the wait list if they are interested in their children attending.

Programing at both Medalta and Esplanade excludes the Friday and Monday bookending the Thanksgiving weekend, however, both offer regular PD programing on Oct. 10.

The Medicine Hat Library is advising parents it won’t be offering any additional programing or be extending the hours of Honeycomb House teen space.

It is also warning parents authorities will be contacted if young children are left at the library without appropriate supervision or are too young to be at the building independently and a caregiver is not available to be contacted.

“We will not allow children to be left unattended because of the strike. We are deeply empathetic with the plight of parents but the library is not a suitable environment for children who are not accompanied by a caregiver,” stated the library’s Facebook post.

The library is reiterating its policies, including that a caregiver can be as young as 13 years old but only if the 13 year old is present, attentive and able to manage the child or children in their charge. Additionally, 10 to 12 year olds can be in the library without a caregiver but one must be easily accessible and available if needed. As well, children 9 years old and under must have a caregiver in the building. If the child is under 7, that caregiver must be with them.