By Meredith McCulloch
As summer approached, the Recreation Department was faced with a waiting list of nearly 100 names for “Kids’ Club,” the Town’s licensed Before and After School Child Care program for elementary school age children.
At the Recreation Commission meeting on September 6, Amy Hamilton, Director of Recreation, described how she moved quickly to accommodate those families. To do this she needed more space and additional staff.
To accommodate additional children in grades K – 2 from the Davis Elementary School, Room at the weekly use of the Shawsheen Room and Room at Town Center was expanded and an additional classroom in the dedicated Kids’ Club space was added for third graders. Next, she planned to use Lane Schoolspace for fourth and fifth graders and arranged buses to take them to the Youth Center at 5 pm.
Hamilton described the plan. “Children at Lane School will have access to the cafeteria, full-size gym, playground, and outdoor athletic fields. The fourth and fifth-grade students will be transported to the youth center 12 Mudge Way at 5 pm for the last hour of the program and parent pickup. This arrangement enables parents of children in different grade levels to pick up at one location.“
New staff was hired. New mobile furniture and storage equipment was purchased for the shared spaces. The State EEC license (Early Education and Care) was expanded and now the Kids’ Club is licensed for 226 children per afternoon.
Hamilton expressed appreciation to Bedford Public Schools Superintendent Jon Sills and Lane School Principal Rob Ackerman for their collaboration.
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