Kids’ recreation options are about to expand in Stonewall where a before- and after-school program will soon launch.
The Town of Stonewall is gearing up to offer the program based out of Ecole RW Bobby Bend School in September, preceded by a “dry run” from May 5 to June 26.
Local parents Angela Grandmont and Dana Scrivens — with support from the RW Bobby Bend parent advisory council and representatives from Starting Blocks daycare — spearheaded a conversation with the Town of Stonewall and Interlake School Division about the issue of finding before- and after-school program spaces.
“We are both public health nurses who grew up in this community and have children who are growing up here too. Dana was one of several parents who couldn’t secure a spot in the Starting Blocks school-aged program, and during my previous role as the chair of the board at Starting Blocks, we noticed a growing need that wasn’t being addressed,” Grandmont said.
“We wanted to advocate for the families in our community, so we brought this issue to the attention of the town and the school division, hoping they would partner with us to solve the problem.”
They sought help to address the difficulty of finding spaces for school-aged kids who have aged out of pre-school programs. The meeting led to a survey to collect information about the need for this type of programming in the area.
Kelly Kimball, Quarry Park manager, said the survey results show a clear need for something for kids to do before and after school.
“Using the data from Stat-Can in 2022, approximately 40 per cent of children aged four to 12 years require before- and after-school programs in Canada — and with the Ecole RW Bobby Bend school population data for 2023-2024 being 472 students, it was estimated that approximately 189 children needed a before- and after-school program in our catchment area,” she said.
“Of the 185 people who responded to the survey, 47 per cent said they needed before- and after-school programming immediately, with an additional 24 per cent saying they needed it by September of 2025.”
In response to this need, the town will soon offer a 30-space before- and after-school recreation program for Ecole RW Bobby Bend students in kindergarten to Grade 4. Before school, the program will operate Monday to Friday during the school year from 6:45 to 8:30 a.m., and after school it will run from 3:15 to 6 p.m.
The cost will be $20 per day plus GST for a morning and afternoon slot. If space allows, they will open up registration for either the morning or afternoon slot at a cost of $15 plus GST per time slot.
“For the time being, the maximum number of kids for the before- and after-school recreation program will be 30,” Kimball said. “As the program is new, we don’t want to go too big, too fast.”
The program will be located in the school gym, with use of the multi-purpose room when needed.
“There may be occasions when there are events at the school, such as Christmas concerts, that we may take the program offsite to a town facility for the day. The program will not run when the school is closed, which means on snow days, in-service days, spring break and Christmas holidays. We do offer a spring break and summer camp in town, which one could register for if they wish,” Kimball said.
“This program being held in the school means that transportation is not needed to go from the program to the schools, helping to keep costs down and to simplify staffing and scheduling needs. It also provides us with the opportunity to use the gymnasium for the activities. This program is not a daycare program; it is a recreational program, so there will be planned recreational activities and structure to it.”
The Town of Stonewall will oversee, plan and execute the program. A newly hired community and recreational services co-ordinator will be responsible for the day-to-day planning and staffing of the program, in addition to other town responsibilities.
The town is also currently seeking recreation program leaders and program assistants.
“We are hoping that there are people in the area looking for a part-time job (up to five hours a day) or that educational assistants may be looking to top up their daily hours in the schools. We are looking for people 18 and older to lead the program,” Kimball said.
“Ideally, we would like to hire two morning and two afternoon staff members at a minimum. We would also look at job sharing; for example, for those who wish to work three days a week and the other for two days a week. We will also consider individuals who wish to work both the a.m. and p.m. shifts.”
The town will provide the staff, design the program and manage registrations, Kimball added. The program is expected to cover its own costs so there should be no cost to the town. The Ecole RW Bobby Bend School administration and teaching staff will not be involved in the program except to provide the space.
“Once we have completed the staffing portion, we will be putting the registration link on the Town of Stonewall and Quarry Park websites and Facebook pages. Registration will be done online and will be primarily for full-week registrations. Individual days will be available if space allows,” Kimball said.
“Families will be able to register their children for the program as soon as it is posted that registration is open, hopefully in early to mid-March. We are accepting employment applications until March 10.”
All inquiries should be directed to the community and recreation services co-ordinator at Heritage Arts Centre.
“I’d like to say thank you to the Interlake School Division and the administration of Ecole RW Bobby Bend for providing us with access to the school space and your support in the development of the program,” Kimball added.
“Additionally, thank you to the community members, parent advisory council and Starting Blocks for all the work you have done prior to this point to bring the issue to the forefront and for laying the groundwork for such an important program.”
To view the job posting, visit the Town of Stonewall website at www.stonewall.ca.
