Overview

Clayton County introduces its first ever “Rotating Recess” skills academy. This was created to enable kids to get some exercise out of the house during these trying times. It will consist of a variety of fundamental drills for several different sports, in accordance with public safety guidelines. The academy will be held at six parks in Clayton County, but will only be a week at each park. This is to make sure that all areas have an opportunity to participate.

The Clayton County Athletics Youth Sports Academy is a sports skills development program for children ages seven through twelve.  The Academy features one hour training sessions, and the participants will be organized by dual-age divisions at each community park and grouped into teams with a 1:9 coach-to-player ratio.  Each session focuses on trainable, sport-specific skills which can be facilitated in accordance with two key recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:  social distancing between participants and minimized contact with common surfaces.  Every activity included in the Academy observes these principles.  With this structure in place, a curriculum of teachable components has been developed for the following sports:  football, soccer, cheerleading, and baseball.  The key concept in these plans is that no drill entails a child touching other participants during the training sessions, nor are they required to share equipment.  Spectators will be prohibited from the programming areas.  Parents are asked to remain in their vehicles.

To discourage person-to-person contact, registration for the Academy will only be conducted online.   In order to participate, parents must complete the Clayton County Athletics COVID-19 Participation Waiver and bring it with them on the day of recess.   Kids must select a sport they want to play, and parents must sign the them up for the day and time of their age group.   There is no cost to participate.  Families can register here.

The schedule for Rotating Recess is as follows:

Locations and Dates:

• Morrow Lake City Park  – October  5-9
• Panhandle Park – October 12-16
• Jonesboro Park – October 19-23
• North Clayton Park –  October 26-30
• Rex Park – November 2-6
• Lovejoy Park November 9-13

Days and times:

• Mondays –  ages 7 & 8
• Tuesdays  – ages 9 & 10
• Thursdays  – ages 11 & 12

Programming will run from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.  Parents are asked to arrive by 6:15 in order for kids to have their temperatures checked.  Each participant must bring their own water, cleats, bats, and gloves.  Masks are required to be worn when the children arrive at the park.

 

Program Registration

Kids ages 7 thru 12 may participate in the Skills Academy.

The Age Control Date for participants is August 1^st.

The registration for the Youth Sports Academy is free of charge.

Registration will only be conducted online.

In order to manage cohorts and contact tracing, spaces will be limited and participants may only register for one program.

To Register Click Here

Arrival/Drop-off

• When participants arrive at the venue, parents will see signage reminding them that families are not permitted to enter the complex if any of the following conditions apply:
  • They have been diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last week.
  • They exhibit symptoms of COVID-19
  • They have had contact with a person that has or is suspected to have COVID-19 within the past 14 days.
• Parents are asked to stay in their car during drop-off, and remain in the parking lot during program activities.
• Staff members and volunteers will greet and lead the children through our contact-free check-in process.

 

Check-in

• Social distancing measures will be maintained to ensure a contact-free check-in process.
• Ground markings and signage will be used to guide participants throughout the process.
• Kids will be screened for symptoms of COVID-19 upon arrival at the park by one of our trained staff members.
• The screening will include a temperature check using a non-contact forehead thermometer. If a child’s temperature is 100.4 degrees or higher, he/she will not able to participate in the academy.
• Hand sanitizer will be provided to each participant upon arrival. The staff should be advised of any known allergies.

Academy Procedures

• We will have proper PPE for all staff and volunteers on site.  PPE is not mandatory for participants
• If a child gets sick during the academy, he or she will be in an isolated area to until a parent picks him/her up.
• Signs will be posted throughout the complex reminding participants of proper hygiene procedures, and participants will take regular breaks to use hand sanitizer.
• During bathroom breaks, we will implement a “one in – one out” policy.
• Participants will drink from their own water bottles during breaks, while following social distancing procedures.
• Restrooms and common areas will be cleaned and sanitized daily for the safety of program participants, volunteers, and our staff.

Training

• Kids will be grouped into cohorts for the duration of the academy, with each “team” having a designated area for workouts and space to keep their bags and equipment.
• To minimize contact with common surfaces, each child will have his or her own equipment.
• To manage “contact tracing,” teams will not compete with opposing cohorts.
• High-fives, handshakes, and other forms of celebration involving contact will be discouraged.

 

Pick-up/Departure

• If possible, the participant should leave the venue with the same person who brought them to the academy.
• Parents should stay in their cars; the children will be led to them for departure.

Participant Illness & Notification

• If a child exhibits symptoms of a potential COVID-19 infection while participating in the academy, we will contact the parent immediately.
• If necessary, we will provide a mask for any potentially infectious participant who does not have his or her own mask.
• We will sanitize and disinfect any surfaces and objects touched by the child believed to have a coronavirus infection prior to allowing other academy participants in the programming area.
• If we receive notice from a parent of a confirmed or presumptive case of COVID-19 amongst our academy participants, we will directly contact families of children in the cohort who were in immediate contact with the infected child.