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Aurora to contract Boys and Girls Club for after-school and summer programs; initial year funded with leftover and regular allocations
Summary
City staff and the Boys and Girls Club of North Central Illinois told the Committee of the Whole on Sept. 2 that the club was the top scorer in an RFP to run Aurora’s after‑school and summer youth programs after the prior provider closed.
City staff and the Boys and Girls Club of North Central Illinois told the Committee of the Whole on Sept. 2 that the club was the top scorer in a request‑for‑proposals process to run the city’s after‑school and summer youth programs after the previous provider closed. Simon Rodriguez, the city’s youth services manager, summarized the RFP process and the staff recommendation to contract with the Boys and Girls Club; Natalie Pawlick, the club’s representative, described program operations and safety procedures.
“Our mission statement is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens,” Pawlick said in her presentation.
Why it matters: the city funds after‑school programming largely through its gaming tax and funds summer programming from general revenues; the programs provide supervised after‑school care and enrichment for elementary‑aged children across multiple school districts and reduce unmet child‑care needs for working families.
What the contract covers: the resolution before council authorizes the director of purchasing to execute a contract with the Boys and Girls Club to administer after‑school programming in about 20 elementary sites (K–5) across East Aurora District 131 and West Aurora District 129, summer camps for multiple districts including a citywide theater camp, and a rotating Downtown Aurora camp. Staff said the contract will provide an estimated 1,000 member enrollments with daily attendance projected near 750; the club expects most participants (about 80%) to attend on scholarship or subsidy.
Funding and budget details: staff presented a year‑one not‑to‑exceed amount of $583,000 (the agenda packet lists $583,000), which includes roughly $226,000 in unspent funds from the current fiscal year that became available after the prior vendor spent less than allocated. Staff said planned maximums for year two and three are $507,000 each, reflecting standard annual budgets after the one‑time leftover funding in year one.
Procurement and selection: city staff said five vendors submitted proposals and that scoring criteria included capacity to run multiple sites, child‑safety policies, school partnerships and budget sustainability. The Boys and Girls Club was selected based on the highest overall score, evidence of recent rapid site openings and a diverse funding model that includes state child‑care assistance (CCAP) and philanthropic support.
Council questions and next actions: aldermen asked about geographic gaps (noting that Districts 204 and 308 have other providers and that the club will evaluate gaps), program staffing ratios (staff said 1 adult per 20 children maximum, with site teams of youth‑development assistants), safety protocols (criminal background checks, fingerprinting and state CCAP compliance) and membership fee policies (the club uses income‑based fees and expects roughly 10–20% of families to pay a fee, with a CCAP subsidy covering many families). The item was placed on the unfinished agenda for further processing and final contract execution steps; staff said they will proceed with finalizing the contract and program planning pending the council’s future consent action.
