With the popular Youth and Tracks activities centers closed, the City of Claremont announced that it was opening a Virtual Activities Center beginning Monday.

“The Human Services Department has launched a Virtual Activity Center (VAC) on the Claremont City website that offers fun and interactive virtual activities in an effort to promote community involvement from the safety of one’s own home,” the city said in a statement.

The VAC is offering a variety of free at-home activities and has introduced virtual contract classes which require a tuition payment. The classes are now available on the City of Claremont’s website where students can engage in weekly live sessions where they can interact with an instructor and fellow students via the popular Zoom app.

Two virtual contract classes offered by the Human Services Department will be held every Monday starting May 11 at a cost of $90 for seven sessions. Even though the first week has passed, students can still sign up for the remaining sessions. For older students, ages 8-13, a Coding with Scratch class will be held from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Younger kids, ages 5-9, can attend a LEGO Play-Well STEM class from 3:00 to 3:50 p.m. The registration process for fee-based contract classes has not changed and can be completed online at https://apm.activecommunities.com/claremontrecreation/Home

In addition to fee-based classes, the Human Services Department also offers free virtual activities to keep children and families active. The VAC includes free online classes, activities, and crafts for the community to enjoy.

“The Claremont Human Services Department is working hard to deliver a range of exciting opportunities for families to interact with the community from home. Human Services staff are also committed to preserving the safety of the Claremont community, so staff will be closely monitoring each contract class Zoom session to ensure standards of safety and quality are being met,” according to the city.

For more information please visit the city’s website at: https://www.ci.claremont.ca.us/government/departments-divisions/virtual-community-activity-center