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After‑school Kids Club asks Prineville council to include regular funding in budget
Summary
Ashley Thrasher, executive director of Kids Club, told council the program serves students at all three elementary schools, cited strong tutoring outcomes and cost savings to families, and asked the council to consider a regular budget line; staff agreed to draft a proposal during the budget process.
Ashley Thrasher, executive director of Kids Club, delivered a detailed presentation to the Prineville City Council asking the city to include the nonprofit in the upcoming budget process as a recurring line item.
Thrasher said Kids Club operates at all three elementary schools in the city and serves school‑age children Monday through Friday after school, with a summer program that runs seven weeks. She told council the program averages about 175 children per day, has more than 200 families enrolled, and reported a current waitlist of 35. Thrasher highlighted program services — tutoring, STEM/arts activities, a summer garden and partnerships with the high school for work experience credits — and said the nonprofit also provides scholarships for qualifying families.
On cost, Thrasher contrasted typical private childcare costs with Kids Club tuition: "Traditional childcare for a school‑aged kid costs roughly $5,800 annually per child," she said, while Kids Club charges $100 per month during the school year, with the third and subsequent child free. She summarized the family savings at roughly $3,300 per year for a family using both after‑school and the summer program.
Thrasher also presented results from a literacy tutoring pilot, saying the program moved about 87% of participating students to proficient or above on DIBELS tests by year’s end. Wayne Looney of the Prineville Kiwanis described past Kiwanis funding that reduced an earlier waiting list and urged sustained community support.
Council members thanked Thrasher and asked staff to develop a budget line for consideration. City Manager Forrester and staff said Laurie Hooper and others will evaluate fiscal adjustments and return a recommendation during the budget process.
"So the evidence is clear that kids who participate in after school programs, they're more likely to succeed in school," Thrasher said during her presentation.
The council did not make an immediate funding commitment at the meeting but directed staff to bring a proposed line item to the upcoming budget deliberations.
