Reopening and Fall Session Programming

We reopened our doors on August 3rd after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We have been bringing back programming slowly, safely and with far fewer participant capacity than prior to the pandemic.  But it has proved to be a huge success!  We are so grateful for our families, volunteers and participants for transitioning seamlessly to the protocols we have in place to keep all of us and our Playhouse safe!  We put a lot of work into overhauling the Playhouse to make it and keep it safe!  If you haven’t been back yet, here is a pic of our new Health Screening Station that will greet you in our foyer.  Here is where you will answer a few quick health screening questions, get a touchless temperature check, update some paperwork and sanitize hands before starting programming!

We started out by bringing back 2 of our very popular programs, Yoga and GiGiFIT Teen/Adult as our reopening Pilot programs.  We have maintained class size to 5 participants with strict and mandatory registration for attendance.  The pilot weeks have gone smoothly and without issues!  We held our classes outside on our front lawn with proper social distancing and wearing our masks until we were on our Yoga Mats!  One day the weather was rainy, so we moved it inside and still did fantastic with our social distancing!  Look at how well it has gone!

Because it has been going so well, we decided we could safely open enrollment for Math, Literacy and Speech 1:1 tutoring for the Fall Session.  The Fall Session of tutoring kicked off last week and it has been going fantastic!  We were able to be sure no more than 2 participant/tutor combos were scheduled at a time for in-person tutoring and we had several participants and tutors opt for virtual tutoring!  We have received a lot of feedback that it has been going well after the first week!  Here are some shots of all the safety precautions in place in each of our tutoring rooms.

We are now planning to bring back 2 more of our favorite programs…..DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!       THAT’S RIGHT!  You heard it here first….Fantastic Friends AM and PM and TeenTastic will be BACK in October!  DO NOT miss your spot!

Let’s just review the new regulations to attend programming.  These are all MANDATORY for attendance to any program at our Playhouse:

1. All persons who enter the Playhouse must wear a mask inside the common and main areas of the Playhouse.  Participants will be allowed to remove their masks once they are in a 1:1 tutoring room and the tutor has a face shield on in addition to the plexiglass divider between the tutor and student.  Participants in any fitness based program will be allowed to remove their mask once they are on their Yoga mat which is socially distanced at least 6 feet apart or more.  Each room will be thoroughly disinfected between each participant.
2. Registration for any program is mandatory to attend.  You must register online on our website at https://gigisplayhouse.org/rochester/calendar/.  No admittance will be allowed to anyone who is not registered in advance for a program.
3. If for any reason you are unable to attend a program you have registered for, please call the Playhouse at (585)563-7487 to let us know, as we have a waiting list for programs due to the limited capacity of programming.
4. Must maintain 6 feet of social distancing in the Playhouse at all times.
5. Participants and family members are strongly encouraged to bring their own water bottles.  Our kitchen is not currently open for families as we work to keep our Playhouse safe.
6. We ask that each participant is accompanied by a parent or staff.  Whenever possible, we ask that siblings and multiple family members stay home to minimize the number of people in the Playhouse at any one time.
7. If you or your participant are ill, please DO NOT come to the Playhouse.  Unfortunately, we will have to turn away anyone who displays cold like/flu like symptoms as we continue our mission to keep the Playhouse safe.  Even if you or your participant do not have COVID or a fever, we will still have to turn away anyone with any displays of illness.
8. All toys have been removed from the main part of the Playhouse.  The gym will be locked during programming.  Anyone waiting for a participant in a program will be welcome to sit in our family lounge area.
9. If you or any family member at any point test positive for COVID-19, you must notify the Playhouse immediately so that we can begin contact tracing and follow state and local guidelines as well as our National Office protocols.
10. THANK YOU for the exceptional cooperation as we all adjust.  We are all in this together and as always, we are #STRONGER, TOGETHER!