The first presentation at the Tuesday night Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) school board meeting was by Casey Knight, the Chief Professional Officer of the Boys & Girls Club in Prescott.

Knight told the Board that the Boys & Girls Club offers afterschool care to children aged 6-18 at a cost of $50 per month. For parents who don't qualify for child care assistance, this is a way to make sure that their kids don't have to go home to an empty home.

Why is this important? As Knight explained, "I thought kids got in trouble on Friday and Saturday nights. They actually get in trouble Monday - Friday from 2 o'clock in the afternoon 'til 6 or 7 o'clock at night. That's when the highest rates of teen pregnancy happen, the highest rates of juvenile delinquency and juvenile crime take place."

And, so, Boys & Girls Clubs, a non-profit organization, keep their rates just high enough to cover costs, and even offers scholarships to those who can't afford to pay anything. "We also make sure we have affordability for all families to attend the Boys and Girls Club," Casey stated. "Currently we charge no more than $50 per month, and the majority of our kids are on a scholarship basis, depending on their financial situation. Some pay $25 per month, the majority pay nothing at all."

Currently, PUSD provides busing from the middle schools and the high schools to the Boys & Girls Club. They do not, however, offer elementary students transportation to the Boys & Girls Club. And at this point, there are no plans to do so.

Part of Knight's presentation to the PUSD Board was a request that they would consider offering transportation for the elementary students to get to the Boys & Girls Club facilities, "We would like to propose at this point that we get the opportunity to be able to serve all of the children of the Prescott Unified School District and give them the option of coming to the Boys and Girls Club. We know you understand the concept of giving them choices, because you already give them one choice, which is the YMCA. So, they are bused to the YMCA; they have that opportunity, they also have your terrific after school program. But being able to give them the option of one more opportunity, one more activity, one more thing to choose from is really for the benefit of the youth. We'd like you to consider expanding those options for the elementary school. We're so thrilled you have agreed to provide busing from the middle schools and the high school, because we know that there are no after school activities set for them there. But we would like you to take the opportunity to consider expanding our partnership to bringing the elementary children also to the Boys and Girls Club."

Casey Knight makes presentation to the PUSD School Board.

PUSD Superintendent Kevin Kapp's immediate reaction was that he was not in favor of busing elementary kids to the Boys & Girls Club, stating, "I do not support busing elementary kids, and here's why: Our child care program - and thank you for the compliments, and I have also been in the club, and it's wonderful... [We support your] middle school activities, and I'm glad we can accomodate that. That is confirmed. I can't support the elementary because of our own program. Kids & Company accepts all children, we get DES subsidies, so no child is turned away, and it's right after school. It's a program I feel is on the verge of turning the corner in terms of not only breaking even but making money. So I have said that I can't support that. Although I totally respect what you are doing, I can't support it. Having said that, if the Board wishes to consider it, that's obviously the Board's perogative, and I'll live with the Board's decision. But, I want to publicly state that I'm not in favor of this."

Kids & Company

The afterschool program for elementary-aged children offered by PUSD is called Kids & Company. It takes a completely different approach to afterschool care, and also provides "Before School Care" starting at 6 am. Many of the children participating in the Kids & Company program are subsidized by the Department of Economic Security. Non-subsidized rates for Kids & Company cost about $185 per month for afterschool care, 5 days per week. This does not include registration fees, before school care, early release charges or school closure days. There are also discounts for PUSD employees and families with multiple children.

Unfortunately, Kids & Company has been costing the school district money, having run at a deficit for several years in a row now. According to the PUSD Board minutes of October 2, 2007, the situation was so dire that former Board President Campbell, "stated that he was also very concerned about those expenditures and that he could not support this program if it doesn’t pay for itself."

Since that Board update last October, however, many changes have been made to the Kids & Company program, and Kapp is hopeful that it will be able to support itself.

YMCA

PUSD, is not adverse, however, to busing kids to the YMCA. Knight was baffled by this. "May I ask why you bus to the YMCA, which also competes with your program, but you would not consider busing to us?"

Kap responded, "That's a little different. We have a long history with the YMCA, we have done that for years. And also there's a reality, that the YMCA - I'm not sure how many hundreds of thousands of dollars they donated to bringing back elementary PE, but it has to be two or three hundred thousand of dollars. So I guess I see that as more of a favor due to a longstanding relationship, rather than starting yet another option for yet another great program, but I guess to me the things are quite different."

Board President Dee Navarro agreed, explaining that the YMCA, "...subsidized our PE programs for two years, to the tune of $150,000 per year."

Where Are All The Students Going After School?

Last year around there were around 2285 elementary students enrolled in PUSD. Where did they all go after school? According to Knight, studies conducted by the State of Arizona indicate that 33% of school aged children go home to an empty house. If that number is accurate, there are approximately 750 elementary students in Prescott going home to empty houses. Some of those students, of course, are being served by Kids & Company. But what about the rest?

Of interest, is that there evidently is some sort of transportation to the Boys & Girls Club from the schools right now. Sherry Gifford, a parent of two elementary students, spoke to the Board last Tuesday night and said, "One of my daughters started going to the Boys & Girls Club in May, and was able to do so because on her IEP, it designates it, so she can have bus transportation; but my other daughter does not have an IEP, so she cannot go. Both of my daughters have been going there this summer, and they really like it."

In other words, Gifford's child with an IEP (Individualized Education Program) has received PUSD bus transportation - but her other daughter cannot access the same transportation.

Gifford also explained that busing the students to Washington School, which is 5 blocks away, simply isn't an option for her children, because, "Two sex offenders live in the close vicinity, according to azsexoffender.com."

Jim Cowan, PUSD's Director of Transportation said, "We managed to have one of our route buses that leaves from Prescott Mile High go by the Boys & Girls Club it's not taking us off our route more than about 2 blocks. We're transferring other students at the beginning of their run. The cost is not very much. YMCA - we go right by the YMCA, they happen to be on the route." Regarding a bus for the Boys & Girls Club, Cowan responded, "We'd have to work on it, we'd have to reroute and do a number of different things, but it could be done."

One parent, who prefers not to be named, has her children enrolled in Kids and Company, but also has used the Boys & Girls Club services. She thinks that both programs are excellent. She said, "I applaud Prescott Unified School District for making sure that middle school kids are bused to the Boys & Girls Club, but as for the elementary students whose parents cannot afford regular daycare fees, where are they going to?"

Knight made one final plea to the Board, "Just even as a consideration, this is not a financial consideration for us, we want to do this for the good of the children. And that's what very important, that they have the options and they all get afterschool care."

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written by TJA, July 26, 2008

Thankfully the Boys/Girls Club will be there for our middle school children! That is the age where most "trouble" starts because of the "empty house syndrom." And, I understand that Boys/Girls Club will be able to pick up children at Washington Elementary....but the children need to get there by buses first. At least they are trying to work out a solution...we ALL want the same thing...to protect our children and give them opportunities to make the right choices.

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written by Holly Quick, July 28, 2008

My son is one of those elementary children who has a scholarship program for the boys & girls club, however, I have no way to get him there..therefore & have no after school care for him. He is 6. He can not be home by himself. I work m-f, 8-5. He goes to Taylor Hicks School.
I would ask that the transportation issue for the elementary children really be taken seriously. I have no other options. I cannot afford the YMCA or Kid's & Company.
SIncerely
Holly C. Quick

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