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Boys and Girls Club presents countywide after-school services, dental clinic and workforce programs
Summary
The Boys and Girls Club of Portage County outlined expanded after-school programming, alternative education supports, a dental clinic serving about 300 children, workforce readiness programs and countywide sites in a presentation to the board.
Danielle Velsky, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Portage County, told the Stevens Point Area Public School District board the organization operates 10 club sites across Portage County and provides a mix of after-school care, alternative programming, workforce readiness and a unique dental clinic.
“Through our programs … kids are able to get their homework done. We feed them,” Velsky said, describing the club’s core after-school elements: homework support, a hot meal or snack, and high-yield learning activities such as STEAM, Club Creates (arts), triple-play gym games and film-makers club.
Velsky reviewed specialized programs the club runs in partnership with the district: Gateway (an alternative to out-of-home placement for high-risk youth), tapering truancy-abatement and mentoring programs, an in-school suspension alternative (YES program) and Project SEARCH, a transitional employment program for students with disabilities. She said the club employs student-success specialists stationed at each junior high and at SPASH to support students at risk of not graduating.
The club also houses a dental clinic at its Burrard Center, funded in partnership with Delta Dental of Wisconsin; Velsky said about 300 children participate in the Smile Club and receive cleaning and screenings from a hygienist and volunteer dentists.
Velsky said the organization serves around 81,000 meals annually across programs and logged tens of thousands of homework-help hours; she noted collaborations with local partners and described the club as a countywide operation that also consults with other districts seeking to replicate its model.
Board members asked about funding for expansion (the club is seeking local donors and a fundraising campaign to open sites in Marshfield) and membership costs: $10 per year for families qualifying for free/reduced lunch and $110 per year for other families, Velsky said; the meal-subsidy status is self-reported at sign-up. Board members thanked the club for its partnership and staff support for families and students.
Velsky said the club hires more than 100 college-age staff annually, provides a 1:15 staff-to-child ratio (more favorable than the national recommended 1:20) and uses ESSER and 21st Century funds for some summer and literacy work the club runs with district teachers.
