Pulaski County is creating three free after-school programs for unincorporated areas of the county.
Community leaders said the programs, which the county will offer to children from ages 6 to 12, will keep kids out of trouble and provide them with much-needed support.
"At the end of the day, a child needs a champion and that's what we're here for," said Jamie Scott, the county youth services director.
The programs will be at the Higgins Community Center, Oak Grove Elementary School and Harris Elementary School. They will offer kids a place to go while their parents are at work. There, they'll be able to receive help with homework and get snacks. Scott said the students will sometimes go on field trips and will have somewhere safe to play.
"It's like an extension of home," Scott said.
Sherry Smith, the director of the Higgins Community Center, said she is excited about the program because rural areas can sometimes be neglected in terms of resources.
"It will be a benefit to the community," Smith said.
During the school year, the programs will run from the time school lets out until 6 or 7 p.m., and in the summer, they will last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m, Scott said.
County Judge Barry Hyde estimates the programs will serve approximately 35 kids each during the school year and more during the summer.
"There's only so much you can do in a school setting, and after school is very important," Scott said.
On Tuesday, the Quorum Court provided the programs with $50,000 each through the end of the year.
Now that money has officially been allotted to the programs, Scott said she can get started getting the programs off the ground. She said she'll need to hire part-time staff members and directors for each location.
The money will cover those costs and the price of needed materials, Hyde said. The justices of the peace allocated the cash from leftover general fund money from the year before.
During Hyde's tenure, this marks the first time the county has covered a Youth Services program, which usually run off grants, he said.
According to the ordinance, the programs are funded for the summer and fall of 2019.
"There's no guarantees, and there's no commitment" beyond that, Hyde said.
The county previously offered after-school programs but ran out of grant money in the last two years, Hyde said. One of the locations was at Higgins, as well.
The Pulaski County Special School District has six after-school programs for elementary kids, said Jessica Duff, the district's executive director of communications. Five of the programs run through fees parents pay to enroll their children in after-school services. An established program at Oak Grove is also conducted with the support of Graves Memorial Baptist Church.
The district also offers free pre-kindergarten programs at 14 of its elementary schools. Those services are funded by grants and run by Pulaski County Youth Services. Duff said the programs are free but do require applications to accept kids.
Superintendent Charles McNulty said he views the new after-school programs the county is offering as an extension of the pre-K services.
"It's certainly a support to our families," McNulty said.
He added that the district and the county have a mutually beneficial relationship.
"You know they're real easy to work with," Duff said of the county.
The county and the school district are able to work together to benefit county residents, she said. The after-school program helps families, where single parents are often raising children alone, and reinforces to kids "the idea that somebody cares," Duff said.
Metro on 04/01/2019