The Sun Country Kids Club will be holding a summer day camp program, and in the fall will offer full-time before and after-school programs, based on the success of a pilot program held at Haig and Souris Schools this past year.
The day camp will be open to the community at large for all children aged five to 12 years, and it will run from July 2 to Aug. 31, from Monday to Friday.
For those children aged five, they need to have finished their kindergarten year to be eligible to take part.
The focus will be to keep children physically active, said Shannon Seitz, executive director of Sun Country Kids Club, a non-profit group which was formed in June of 2011. For every three hours of programming there will be a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity.
The summer day camp program will also provide numerous activities such as arts and crafts, field trips, and even a fishing component in conjunction with the Weyburn Wildlife Federation.
As the club is a child care service, the price for the day camp is $100 a week, or there is a drop-in rate of $25 a day; all children have to be pre-registered to take part in the program. Seitz pointed out that fees are only paid for the time the child is in the program, whereas a day care will charge for a time period whether or not the child is there.
Registrations for the summer program will start in May; the organization will have a table at the Farmers Market at the mall starting on Saturday, May 19.
Registration can also be done by e-mail, at suncountrykidscl...@gmail.com.
Also, the Sun Country Kids Club will hold a fundraiser family bazaar event on Sunday, May 27 in the Comp Cafetorium.
The bazaar will include garage sale items, home-based businesses, a magic show and entertainment. Tickets will go on sale on May 1 at the Co-op Foods customer service desk for $5 a person, which includes admission and entertainment, or $8 at the door.
The pilot program, which ran this past school year at Haig and Souris, was only held one day a week; when the program goes in full-time, it will be available before and after school every weekday.
Seitz said they received “lots of positive feedback” about the program, so are hoping for a successful run on a full-time basis.
The organization is looking for sponsorships and financial donations to help with the setup costs for the program.
For more information about the Sun Country Kids Club, drop by their office at 405 Coteau Avenue, which is beside the Weyburn Big Brothers office, or check out their Facebook page under “Sun Country Kids Club”.
Staff members for the club are trained in the High Five program, which ensures that those leading the program understand the importance of nurturing children’s mental health, along with their physical health. Staff are also trained as fundamental movement skill leaders, with training offered by the Coaches Association of Saskatchewan.
In the Before and After School program, some funding for equipment and supplies came through Southeast Connection Sport, Culture and Recreation, along with Saskatchewan Lotteries.
