Youth Activities Center making strides

"The new facility will have six classrooms, a state of the art computer lab, huge game room and an amazing new playground. We will be able to hold twice as many kids as we do now," stated YAC Director Megan Elliot.

The grand opening of the new facility will coincide with the youth center earning their accreditation. Last year, Commander Navy Installations Command directed that all Navy After School programs become accredited. The youth center is moving forward with their plans to make that happen.

The two-year process of becoming a National After School Association (NAA)-accredited facility has the youth center staff focusing on every aspect of the program and seeking out ways to continuously improve the service that they provide to military families. Human relationships, indoor/outdoor environments, activities, health, safety and nutrition, as well as all administrative areas of the program center, will be looked over very closely. A designated panel of supervisors, staff, parents and children will observe specific areas of the program and "grade" them.

The panel is designed to find and fix flaws. After improvements are made, the panel will continue to grade the same specific area until it is categorized as flawless. There are a total of 36 areas that are being looked at and they each have very detailed criteria that must be met. "We are currently in the heart of the process of the accreditation and things are moving along well. We should have the NAA accreditation complete by the beginning of the new school year. I am excited at the fact that we will be walking into a new facility with our accreditation," added Elliot.

Paul Wentworth, a builder for Harry Pepper and Associates Design, concentrates his efforts on creating the transformer platform that will be the source for electrical power to the new building.

"It's good for children to come to a place that provides children a place to interact socially, physically. Instead of going home after school to watch television, we offer fitness programs, homework help and many other activities to keep young people mentally stimulated," she continued.

Military after-school programs are unique from civilian counterparts for many reasons. But, one reason in particular stands out. "This is a facility where other children know what the others are going through if parents are deployed and they are having personal struggles in dealing with it. They can empathize with each other and they are not alone. Our staff is trained to encourage the children to talk about it and give children ways to cope with separation or loss. If progress isn't being made, our partnership with the Fleet and Family Support Center will ensure that they receive the attention needed to get both feet back on the ground," said Elliot.

Once the new facility is open, school age children can drop in any time and even sign themselves in. They can include themselves in all kinds of activities that are offered at the center from pizza night, open recreation, karaoke and karate classes. The only requirement is that they are registered through the youth center, which is free. Special events and group trips are also available and are priced very attractively or free.

All staff members go through a rigorous hiring process that includes five background checks so parents can be assured their children will be taken care of by a fully qualified staff who's complete focus is ensuring the military child is in an environment that promotes safety and wellness. The youth center's fees are based on the annual household income. For more information on the array of activities that will entice your child, contact the Youth Activities Center at 778-9772.