NAMPA, Idaho — The Boys and Girls Club of Canyon County said it is adjusting well to the Nampa School District's 4-day week.
"We have great partnership with the Nampa School District," CEO Melissa Gentry said. "So, we were able to take part of Centennial, which we're here today, but it pretty much doubled our footprint overnight."
She said they have more space to help parents needing care for their children and teenagers on Fridays after adding a location at Centennial, which the School Board voted to close in the spring.
The Club signed the agreement with the district for the space in late July, about three months after the School Board approved the schedule change. Gentry said they can care for an additional 300-500 children now.
"If you're a working family, what do you do with your kids on that fifth day?" she said. "And so, we knew we had to be open."
Including the Boys and Girls Club, the district partnered with four groups that provide child care — the YMCA, the City of Nampa's Recreation Department, and the Salvation Army Nampa Corps.
The YMCA and the City of Nampa's Recreation Center said they have not seen a big increase in their childcare programs on Fridays. The Salvation Army did not respond to KTVB's email.
"We wanted to over-prepare with them in case there were an excess amount of students who had to utilize them," district spokesperson Matthew Sizemore said. "So far, the numbers have been relatively low, which shows that parents are finding ways, whatever those may be, to take care of their kids, but the kids that are taking advantage of those seem to be having a great time as well."
Between their two locations, Gentry said they care for nearly 300 children every Friday. That number continues to increase as the school year progresses.
She estimates they will have about 400 children coming to the Club by Christman.
Not only does she say they are getting new children because of the schedule change, but the new space also allowed them to clear their waitlist for the first time in nearly two decades, letting in children like Brittany Brown's daughter, who will be a kindergartener in the district next year.
"I think it's great that they are providing a very easily accessible way to get childcare that's very affordable and a great way to kind of bridge the gap that was formed by a four-day school week," Brown said.
Gentry said they hope to stay in the school long-term, but she is not sure how they will pay for it. They need to figure out how to cover the hundreds of thousands of dollars it costs to run the new location.
"Being open on Fridays alone, just in staff and food, cost the club $200,000 more a year," she said. "So, we're still working with our communities and trying to identify new ways to fundraise so we can sustain our facilities."
Parents interested in programs for their children and teenagers should reach out to the Club, Gentry said. They primarily serve low-income families and charge $25 per child per year.
In addition to now being open 7 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on Fridays, the primarily after-school nonprofit is also open on holidays and breaks.