Summer drop-in programming is available Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Facebook/Boys and Girls Clubs of the Battlefords)

By Keaton Brown

outdoor fun

First year of summer drop-in programming a success for local Boys and Girls Clubs

Jul 21, 2020 | 2:00 PM

The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Battlefords (BGCB) is finding success in their first year running the summer drop-in programs at Centennial and Kinsmen parks.

The program offer parents a chance to drop off their children at one of the two locations throughout the day where they can enjoy supervised outdoor recreation.

Nicole Combres, executive director of the BGCB, explained the summer drop-in programming they have available.

“We are offering summer drop-in programming at two locations: Kinsmen and Centennial parks,” she said. “A lot of it is free play, whether that is on the playgrounds there, the splash parks. We have some water toys for them to use, but we do have some structured activities so there might be some structured activity in the morning then a craft in the afternoon.”

Combres said this program is usually offered by the City of North Battleford.

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“Typically the City of North Battleford has employees that run programming there. But this year when they weren’t able to and didn’t have the resources to we were able to secure some dollars from the city in order to ensure that children and youth had access to free summer drop-in programming,” she said.

The first few weeks of the summer drop-in program were plagued with inclement weather and a lot of rain. However, as conditions have improved the programs has been reaching its 30 kid capacity. Combres said they received a lot of positive feedback from some familiar places.

“We have had our families giving us a lot of positive feedback. They are really happy to see our staff at the parks. Many of our families are used to seeing out employees at the club or at our satellite sites where we offer before and after school programs,” she said.

Combres explained the familiarity with their staff provides an extra sense of comfort for the parents dropping off their children.

“So our families are really happy to know that our staff are there to continue to be positive support and role models to the children and youth that they have already built relationships with,” she said. “They are really excited that the kids have access to some programming where they can socialize with other children and youth knowing that they are safe, taken care of, they are engaged and they are learning.”

The summer drop-in programming is free to all registered BGCB members and operates Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Centennial Park and Kinsmen Park in North Battleford.

“It is really about being outdoors, enjoying the weather, and having fun,” she said.

—

Keaton.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow