City of Beacon considers a new after-school program from the Beacon Recreation Department. Parent support is needed to help council vote to provide startup funding.

Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Beacon is booming with class options for kids, both after school and during the day from private businesses run by creative types, but there is no official after-school program from the City of Beacon. Until, perhaps, now. Parks and Recreation Director Mark Price has been listening to residents' requests for such a program, and has put together a proposal on behalf of the City of Beacon Recreation Department for a self-sustaining, "enrichment-based" after-school program for grades K-5, which he plans to present to City Council during an April 25th City Council meeting. His proposed programming would include Homework Enrichment time, rounded out with themed days like Ninja Class, Cooking School, Yoga, Artists and Musicians

However, Price needs to show the council strong indication that parents will buy into the program before he is granted city money to get funding and staff to kick off the program. "This program is a big deal. It gives me goosebumps," says Price. Residents are being encouraged by Price and by Beacon's Interim Superintendent, Ann Marie Quartironi, to answer a four-question survey about the program so that Price can have the data to analyze the level of interest he is working with. Parents are also encouraged to email support to their council representative (if you don't know what Ward you live in and who represents you, you can click here for an interactive map, and then here for a list of council members and email addresses).

Track Record of City Funding

Price's recent track record of using city funds to start a program was proven successful last summer when he received city funding to re-open Beacon's public pool, after years of it being dry and forgotten, overgrown by weeds at the Settlement Camp on 9D (aka Wolcott Avenue). Season passes sold out last year, and often the pool was so well-attended that capacity maxed out and people waited on the lawn outside the pool in order to get in. So far, 100 of the 200 season passes to the pool have been sold, with day passes available, which help the public pool remain self-sustained.

Is Beacon Catching Up to Other Cities and Towns?

Fishkill has a successful after-school program that works with one of the four elementary schools in Beacon, Glenham Elementary. The health club All Sport has been promoting its new after-school program with busing for kids in the Wappingers District. For Beacon parents who need busing and full-day coverage while at work or commuting, the only option is to have children bused from their respective elementary schools to a daycare center in the area. For parents who work from home or have flexible schedules, the work day pauses at 3pm so that children can be picked up and taken home or to afternoon classes in other programs, like at Tri-Arts, Beacon Craft Workshop, the Howland Public Library or even to Fishkill's Recreation Center (for a list of kids classes, please see A Little Beacon Blog's Kids Classes Guide).

What Will the After-School Program Look Like?

Photo Credit: Clarice Allee

Both Price and Quartironi have expressed a desire to take advantage of the creative talents who live in Beacon, who already offer programs to kids. Each of the three elementary schools (South Avenue, J.V. Forrestal and Sargent) would have a program within their building that is run by the Beacon Recreation Department, so that no busing would be necessary. Glenham's program with Fishkill's Recreation Department would not change. It is undecided at this time if it will include kids who are "Busers," which defines kids who need to wait in designated areas of their school for their bus to take them home or to another after-school program, and often have long wait times for their bus. There will be snack time, homework encouragement time (not a formal tutoring session at this time), and then programming that could involve recess time, arts and crafts, ninja-based activities, cooking, etc.

There will be a fee of $13-$15 per day and care would run until 6pm. Parents can select which days they sign up for, and do not need to commit to five days a week. It is undecided at this time if the days that a family picks can be changed as needed.

If approved, the after-school program would start in the 2016-2017 school year. "With a program like this, everyone wins," says Price. "It helps the Recreation Department get more programs and staff to run and promote those programs." Price estimates that he needs more than 105 families to participate.

If you are interested in seeing this program happen, three actions are encouraged:

Take the super-short survey online here.
Email your Ward representative, emails for whom can be found here, and if you don't know what Ward you live in, just click here, and zoom in on your house and click on it.
Attend the City Council meeting on April 25, where Council Members will be looking to see how many people would actually financially buy into this program.