YMCA still accepting students for after-school program
Published 12:33 pm Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Isabella Campos and Kennedy Bradford instruct Ty’yuenna Henry and Bailee Edwards on how to use the paint for the art project during the after-school program at the YMCA of Chilton County. (Photos by Emily Reed)
Spots are still available for the YMCA of Chilton County’s annual after-school program, which started Aug. 11.
“We are still accepting students,” Chilton County YMCA Executive Director Angie Wright said. “Anyone interested in signing up still has time.”
Wright said the annual program changed curriculums in 2014 to incorporate a healthy snack, physical education, activities, art enrichment and homework.
“The parents who have their kids coming to the program have really been positive about everything,” Wright said. “We allow the kids to focus on their homework, and then they get to do things such as craft time and P.E. time, and they seem to really enjoy that.”
Currently, there are about 50 kids enrolled in the program, which is every school day from 3-6:30 p.m.
The program is held every day school is in session, even when school dismisses early.
Wright said a shift in the hours of the program also helped parents who get off work after 5 p.m.
“We found that when we started offering it until 6:30 p.m. instead of 6 p.m., it allowed a lot more parents to have time to get here after work,” Wright said.
Dylan Rogers has his hand painted by Lily Bailey.
The YMCA bus will pick up students from Jemison, Thorsby and Chilton Christian Academy, along with Clanton elementary, intermediate and middle schools.
Wright said a minimum of 15 kids is needed for the bus to stop by a school.
“Right now we aren’t picking up from Thorsby because we don’t have enough students, but we have a list of kids waiting,” Wright said.
The cost of the program is $20 per week for YMCA members and $45 per week for non-members.
Payments for the program are due each Monday.
A $25 non-refundable registration fee per family is required.
On Tuesday, students ages kindergarten through first grade spent part of the afternoon making crafts by painting their hands with paint and transferring the paint to paper.
“It is just a craft where they get to use their hands,” YMCA Counselor Lily Bailey said. “They love using their hands.”
Children must be picked up by 6:30 p.m. each night.
For more information about the program, call the YMCA of Chilton County at (205) 755-2382.
