LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — The last day most kids in the Kansas City area actually attended school was Dec. 20 thanks to Winter Break and Winter Storm Blair.
But one very important service many schools offer — day care — has started to reopen, to the delight of parents and kids alike.
“For the parents who use this service, it's super critical,” Highland Park Elementary Y Club Site Supervisor Matthew Hastings said.
The Y Club is a partnership between the YMCA and the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, which provides on-site before- and after-school care at elementary schools in the district.
During inclement weather, sites get consolidated to accommodate available staff, so Wednesday parents could drop off children who are enrolled in Y Club at Prairie View or Longview Farm elementary schools.
“The amount of parents who are like, ‘Thank you — thank you for letting us have our kids here; they're so excited to kind of get back into that routine,’ I think it's a big relief for parents,” Hastings said.
Everyone could use a break from Mother Nature, but working parents also could use a break from their kids after nearly three weeks — and the kids are ready for that structure again, too.
“It was fun to see my old friends here and some of my school friends go here,” Lee’s Summit third-grader Mariah Tetlow said. “I was really excited to see them.”
Mariah’s little sister, Kennedy, agreed.
“I miss playing with them,” she said.
The Tetlow girls enjoyed a little extra time together during the holidays.
“It was fun, because we get more time together,” Mariah said. “Whenever we’re at school — we’re different grades, different pods — so we barely get to see each other. I only see her at lunch and stuff.”
But amid the messy weather, Mariah admitted that things were getting a bit messy at home with everyone stuck inside together.
“We were kind of fighting — kind of,” she said.
That’s another reason why the reopening of Y Club — and similar programs like Blue Springs’ Prime Time, Fort Osage’s Fort Discovery, Independence’s Kids’ Safari and Olathe’s OST in conjunction with Johnson County Parks and Recreation among others — is so critical.
“It gives them an opportunity to feel like their routine is somewhat normal, because they normally go to Y Club before and after, and so they're like, ‘Hey, we have somewhat of a routine again. We're not just it's not completely different,’” Hastings said.
During AMI days, when students have work to do even with school buildings closed, Y Club and similar settings also provide a lifeline for kids needing help.
“It was hard (Tuesday),” Kennedy said of doing the AMI work at home, “because I had so much and my sister finished first.”
Things went better Wednesday at Y Club.
“What's cool is we're able to give kids kind of a variety,” Hastings said. “We start off in the morning and give them that homework help. A lot of our staff actually engage with the teachers, because our staff have built relationships with them. Sometimes we work with teachers to get the kids the support they need. But then it's like, ‘Hey, now let's take a break. Let's go to the gym. Let's get that exercise. We've been stuck at home for all of winter break.’”
There’s also time for arts and crafts, interactive videos and educational toys to play with.
“We're able to do so many different things, so we're able to hit all the different kids needs in a variety of situations,” Hastings said.
Still, nothing replaces a normal school day. Mariah is eager to get back to Mason Elementary, where she’s excited to see the progress of the classroom’s butterflies and see more friends.
And she’s not alone.
“The continuous feedback we get from parents is that they really just need some extra support,” Hastings said. “I think that's the hard thing when you come with weather encounters or you have these extra stressors, parents just need those extra supports.”
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