As kids and their parents go school shopping for clothes and supplies, and teachers prep their classrooms, staff at Boys & Girls Clubs of Mason Valley are getting themselves ready for the upcoming school year as well. The Club offers numerous programs throughout the year that they say help members do better in the classroom.
Power Hours is one of these programs, where Club members can receive help on their homework, and even earn points for finishing assignments.
“We have a lot of kids come through the Power Hour program,” said Teri Trout, the education coordinator at BGCMV’s Mason Valley site. “And their parents love it, because they can go home and spend more time with their kids rather than doing homework.”
Other programs offered by the Club include tutoring, Project Learn, games with learning objectives and Striving Readers. In Project Learn, BGCMV staff put together activities with learning something new or working on an important skill as the focus of the activity. These activities range from a simple game of chess to robotics to science projects. Striving Readers is a program that helps Club members read at grade level or, for those already at that point, gets them to read at a more advanced level.
“We have a lot of kids who, first thing when they get to the Club, come right into the Homework Room with their backpacks and start working,” said Trout. “They want to get done so they can go play for the rest of the day.”
With Striving Readers, a program ran in conjunction with Lyon County School District, the Club aims to give their members that extra time out of the classroom they might need to catch up.
“The look on a kid’s face when it clicks is just awesome,” said Darci Beaton, Literacy Director for BGCMV.
The large variety of programs the Club offers is what officials at the Club say sets them apart from regular after-school care, or a babysitting service.
“When our members walk in our doors, we have a responsibility to them to make sure that not only are they being looked after, but that we’re providing enriching opportunities, and that we’re helping them to be better at whatever they do outside of the Club as well,” said Travis Crowder, chief professional officer for BGCMV.
Information on school-year hours and rates can be found on the Club’s website, bgcmasonvalley.org.