Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – A new partnership between the Presque Isle Recreation & Parks Department and the Wintergreen Arts Center will provide children with healthy and artistic activities after school.
According to Recreation and Parks Director Chris Beaulieu, the U.S. Department of Education has awarded his department $238,000 to establish an after-school arts and physical activity program that will begin in January.
“The arts component, which is certainly the most exciting piece because it will be new, will be in collaboration with the Wintergreen Arts Center. Through this grant, we’ll be offering after-school arts programs for three years,” said Beaulieu, noting that the programs will incorporate storytelling, illustration, drama, music and dance. “The programs will be held at their new facility, located at 149 State St., and it won’t be your typical art class. It will run after school till 5:30 p.m., so the kids will typically be there for two and a-half hours.
“There will be more than just arts,” he said. “There will be homework time, and we’re looking at supplying some healthy snacks for kids, as well.”
Classes will be offered to children in grades 1-3 and 4-6 twice a week.
“We’re able to take about 20 kids per session, so that’s 40 kids that will be served per session thanks to this grant,” said Beaulieu, noting that each session will run for 6-8 weeks depending on school vacations. “We’re also going to be doing a parent-child program for children ages 2-5 one morning a week.”
Beaulieu said the Rec & Parks’ summer arts and crafts program will be held at the Wintergreen Arts Center, as well.
“Here, the kids have a 50-minute class five days a week,” he said. “Starting next summer, we’ll hold classes in two-hour blocks. They won’t meet as often, but they will meet for a longer period of time. The program will be higher quality and the kids will get more out of it. They’ll be able to work on a project rather than a quick craft.”
The physical activity component of the after-school program, which will be held at the William V. Haskell Community Center on Main Street, will be an “enhancement” of the existing program.
“We’ll be getting some supplies that we have needed for quite some time,” said Beaulieu. “We’ll be replacing our scoreboards which we’ve needed for several years. The money will also help us with T-shirts and the usual everyday costs.”
Sports activities such as soccer, basketball, tennis, and swimming will be offered. In addition, the program will include KinderGym and Mini All Star Programs to introduce children to a variety of sports and activities at a young age.
“While these programs aren’t free,” Beaulieu said, “we think the quality the children will get will certainly be worth the money.”
U.S. Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins (R-Maine) were pleased to make the award announcement.
“After-school programs have long provided a safe and engaging environment for children and youth during out-of-school hours,” the senators said in a joint statement. “We are pleased the U.S. Department of Education recognized Presque Isle Recreation & Parks’ qualifications for this award, which will promote art education and physical activities for children and their families within the Presque Isle community.”
The funding will support the program for three years, January 2010 to December 2013.
“Our hope is that when the three years is over, it will have helped give the Wintergreen Arts Center a solid base, and they’ll be able to continue offering the same programs … if not make them better,” said Beaulieu. “The grant was a one-shot deal. We don’t know if the Rec & Parks will have our hands in the arts program at the end of the three years or not. Maybe Wintergreen will be able to do it on its own, but we hope this is the start of a long-lasting partnership between the two organizations.”
