BELDING, Mich. — A before and after school program that some Belding neighbors rely on is now at risk of losing state funding. If enrollment doesn't increase soon, the program could be forced to shut down.
The Family Learning Center started last year at Family Life Center Church of God in Belding thanks to the Michigan Out of School Time Grant. The program was created to expand high-quality, in-person before and after school learning for students.
Ryan Snyder, pastor and former project coordinator, said the program's future depends on community participation.
"We want to be able to do this, you know, continually,” Snyder said, “the consequence of that not happening is the program could get shut down, and kids can't get the education and the extra education that they need.”
Athena Booth, a Greenville mother of four, said her children each benefited from the program in different ways.
"They were able to come to the program and spend some time here after school where they weren't home alone, they were able to get extra academic help while they were here, and they just loved the program,” Booth said.
Booth says the benefits extended beyond academics for working parents. With free pickup and drop off options available, she says the program was a big help.
"I was able to be at work without worrying about them being home alone. So, you know, just those hours after school where we didn't have to worry about them being home alone," Booth said.
However, Snyder said families may not have that option much longer.
The Family Learning Center currently has five students enrolled in their program, but they need at least 37 students to attend for 70 days to be grant eligible.
"It's extremely important that we have students in the building because we want to help as many as possible,” Snyder said, “if we don't get that involvement that means that we can't continue on next year, and unfortunately, that program may not be available in this area again.”
Derien Kunce, the project coordinator, said losing the program would significantly impact families.
"If we don't have enough kiddos, and that funding in the program ultimately goes away, then that would be, I honestly think, relatively devastating for some families who really would need a program like this," Kunce said.
Although Booth's children won't be enrolled this year, she said the program's impact continues.
"They still talk about some of the women here that they spent time with in the program and academically, I do think it helped just the reading and the extra math that they got to do after school," she said.
The program starts Monday. If you’re interested in enrolling, you can call 6167946330.
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