KUNA, Idaho — Many parents rely on the Boys and Girls Club to keep their kids busy, active and social; that is the primary mission of the Kuna Boys and Girls Club.
"During the summer they have art projects and physical activities in the gym," Belinda Gordon, the program chair said. "During the school year, they have tutor and schoolwork help where they can do their homework."
However, according to Gordon, the current facility has a limit on rooms and a shortage of space, which is one of the biggest struggles they're facing.
"These are very limited," Gordon said. "We have these two rooms and then we have the upstairs gym.”
It's because of the smaller space that they have to limit the number of kids they can serve.
"It really limits the number of kids we can have, and it limits what we can do with them,” Gordon said.
With the current facility, Gordon says they have around 127 kids enrolled. They average 90 kids in attendance every day, but their waitlist still has more than 200 students hoping to enroll.
"This has been an ongoing problem. It started before we started this. It's always an issue,” Gordon said.
It’s a struggle many parents have had to face for years as well.
“It's nice to have somewhere for them to come while I'm at work that's a safe place for them to be." Sally Gann, a Kuna parent said. "There are lots of parents that can't even get in because there is no space for kids."
To help serve more families, the Boys and Girls Club in Kuna will be breaking ground on a new facility on Friday. The daycare and teen center will also be two new features families can take advantage of.
"We need infant care because daycares are just busting at the seam,” Gann said. “So, the fact that we are going to have an infant center and a teen program for all those teens that have nowhere else to go, it's amazing."
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.