YMCA After School Program Offers Structured Environment In Which To Do Homework And Exercise

Boyd Cole, Aaron Manes, Thaid Timblin and Jared Moulthrop enjoyed a healthy snack before heading out to the playground to work off a little steam before they cracked the books.

The four boys were enjoying a warm late summer afternoon on the playground as part of the Miami County Family YMCA’s after school program at Trojan Elementary.

The program is offered every day after school until 6 p.m. and is available for kindergarten through sixth-grade students.

Micca Cole, the program’s site director, said students have the opportunity to work on their homework, get some exercise, eat a healthful snack, visit the school’s computer lab and participate in other activities – all in a structured atmosphere.

The cost of the after school program is $50 per week. The service is also offered on non-school days such as in-service days or during spring break and Christmas break when school is not in session. The non-school day service is available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at a cost of $15 per day.

Scholarships for the after-school program are available for families in need, Cole said.

Students enrolled in the program at Trojan report to the commons area after school. Kindergarteners and sixth graders participating the program are bussed to Trojan.

“We start with a snack, and then they get a chance to go outside and work off some energy so they can focus on their homework when we come back inside,” Cole said.

Cole and assistant site director Libby Wakeman were twirling a long rope for the four boys to practice their jump-roping skills on Monday afternoon.

Third graders, Cole, Manes and Timblin, and Moulthrop, a second grader, also have a chance to play games like four square and use the playground equipment. During cold or inclement weather, the exercise period moves into Trojan Elementary’s gymnasium.

During homework time, the youths study in the commons area.

“Trojan gives students 20 minutes of reading homework, so they have time to complete that along with any other assignments like math and science. There’s no TV time,” Cole said. “We go swimming once a month at the Y and we have access to the computer lab at the school, and we try to use that at least once a week.”

Cole’s after school youths helped Paola elementary student Emily Benton fold Origami prayer swans for her friend Sadie Olson, who is battling Rasmussen’s disease, as a community service project last week.

“Her goal was to make 1,000 Origami swans,” Cole said. “We are always looking for community service projects.”

The program, entering its third year, has five students. Last year, the program ended with eight to 10 students, and Cole is looking to increase enrollment for this year.

For questions about the program or scholarship applications, Cole can be reached at Trojan Elementary from 2:30 to 6 p.m. school days at (913) 755-4133.

“It’s a great program,” Cole said. “I hope more people will take advantage of it.”

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Posted by Doug on Sep 1 2010. Filed under News and Updates, Photo Galleries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry