GRAND RAPIDS — When Katie Benes’ day care provider told her she would no longer be caring for children after school, she found just two organizations providing after-school care: the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club.
“There are some who can rely on family for after-school care or for sports and activities to provide supervision for kids after school while they work,” said Benes, now a part of the Boys and Girl’s Club Board, at a Jan. 16 Itasca County Board work session. “There are others who feel they have no choice, and they send their kids home to empty houses.”
For nearly a decade, the Boys and Girls Club has provided secular after-school care in Grand Rapids and Coleraine.
The club used to charge just $20 a year, a low price compared to day care rates. But after grant funding ran out last year, the Boys and Girls Club worked with parents to figure out another way to fund the program. So, starting Jan. 1, the organization raised its rate to $60 a week, with a sliding pay scale based on families’ incomes.
“It’s really not ideal for our program because what we aim to do is reach everybody, those families that actually need us the most,” said Britta Arendt, the organization’s development director. “We’re finding a lot of families out there.”
The club is open after school until 7 p.m. and during the summer. It provides homework help and a snack and dinner. In the summer, children get two meals throughout the day.
“It’s more than just a waiting spot for children to go between school and then home,” Arendt said. “We’re really working with the children and helping them grow into well-rounded people.”
The community need was evident last fall when the club saw an increase in registered families, Arendt said. But staff and space shortages forced the club to cap its enrollment.
Arendt, Benes and other Boys and Girls Club employees and parents attended the Itasca County Board work session to request $150,000 in leftover COVID-19 relief funds to fill their immediate funding gap. Board members said they would take the request under advisement.
Arendt said the organization is working to diversify its income. The club will receive donations from SuperOne Foods as part of its round-up program in February are planning to bring back a duck drop fundraiser later this year.
More information about the Boys and Girls Club, including how to volunteer and donate, can be found on its website.