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Hampton parks superintendent says after-school program serves 1,400 students and emphasizes reading
Summary
Art Thatcher reported the city-run after-school program has expanded to 27 sites with more than 1,400 participants, generates fee revenue, uses Title I and USDA meal funding, and includes 88 students with IEPs; council requested a breakdown for special-needs participation.
Art Thatcher, Hampton Parks & Recreation superintendent, updated the council on the city's after-school program, saying the program has grown from one site in 1998 to 27 sites serving more than 1,400 participants and that the program is designed to be fee-based to cover direct costs. Thatcher told council the program expects to generate more than $1,200,000 in revenue this year and noted 20 sites receive a specific funding stream, 15 sites use USDA meal funding for snacks, and 14 sites receive Title I support.
Council members asked whether students with disabilities were included in the figures. Thatcher and staff said 88 students in the main program have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and that a separate therapeutic recreation (TR) program serves roughly 28 additional students with specialized staffing (4:1 ratio) while the general program operates at about a 15:1 ratio. A council member requested staff break out the special-needs participation by site and report back.
The presentation also described staffing and enrichment: each site includes a high-school tutor (minimum GPA 3.0), arts and STEM enrichment, and partnerships with community organizations such as Alternatives Incorporated and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
