If you ask YWCA director of childcare, Tabitha Haney, what she loves most about her Adventure Club staff, she might tell you that they never shrink from a challenge.
When she presented the staff with information about the School’s Out Washington program, they knew it would be hard work and could make Adventure Club better for the kids in the program, so they couldn’t wait to get started.
ALWAYS LEARNING
School’s Out Washington believes that education for young people doesn’t stop when the school day ends, and that after-school care programs, like YWCA Adventure Club, should be high-quality Extended Learning Opportunities, or ELOs.
Rhena Burt, Adventure Club Site Coordinator, said, “I was excited that we would be one of Walla Walla’s first afterschool childcare programs to focus
on ELOs. How exciting to get to learn more about things we can do to make our program better!”
A SOWA trainer, Kandy Whitaker, visited Adventure Club at Davis Elementary in College Place, the club’s location during the school year. She observed the staff and activities and shared her impressions about the program.
“We’ve had a couple of assessments now, which helped us choose three areas to set goals in. We decided the most important area to focus on was skill building, because so many skills touch on other areas. With skills like problem-solving, for example, kids are empowered to help themselves
get through challenges,” said Rhena. “We’re also working on
leadership opportunities for kids and on helping children learn to be
more reflective.”
School’s Out trainers and coaches are highly knowledgeable and up to
date on the latest developments in school-age care, youth development
and best practices. “Kandy will be training us on how to achieve our goals,” said Rhena, “and help us create fun ways for our wide range of ages to build new skills together.”
SUMMER OR AFTER SCHOOL
Adventure Club accepts school-age children kindergarten through sixth grade for afterschool care, located at Davis Elementary in College Place; we can arrange transportation from Walla Walla schools if needed.