Boys & Girls Club of the Fox Valley-Appleton, Wisconsin

High quality summer programs at a reasonable cost are difficult to find. The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley is a non profit organization located in Appleton, Wisconsin. They are open year round, after school during the school year and all day during the summer. If you are looking for quality summer program ideas for your children, I would highly recommend taking a look at the Boys & Girls Club of the Fox Valley's downtown location.

The Boys & Girls Club in the Fox Valley of Wisconsin began in July 1998 and has been rapidly expanding ever since. Many people have this false belief that since it is a non profit, they serve only those living in poverty. This is not true at all; the Boys & Girls Clubs welcome kids of all backgrounds regardless of income. The club serves ages 6-18, both boys and girls and is a positive place for kids.

The summer program is bursting with opportunity for children. The staff at the club (many who are full time over the summer) continually work to program in the following areas: Character & Leadership Development, Education & Career Development, Health and Life Skills, the Arts and Sports, Fitness and Recreation. They also have teachers from the local school districts who come in and teach enrichment classes in many different areas. All of these programs are fun, educational and meant to inspire kids. You will also see volunteers throughout the club, helping the kids and helping the teachers.

There are also additional programs offered by the community. For example, a few years ago Regal Cinemas offered movies at a low cost to members of the club. They were able to take a trip on a school bus to spend the late morning hours at the air conditioned movie theatre. Also, the local 4H offers a "garden club" in which members get hands on experience working outside in a garden offsite.

The facility itself is quite nice. It has a large lobby, games room, gymnasium, art room, cafeteria, computer lab and a large playground. There are also additional classrooms, one reserved as a "quiet room" for those shy kids who might want to get away and play a board game or read.

The cost of membership is $15 per child, per year. That is right, only $15, it is quite a bargain for what you are getting. Members receive ID cards that they swipe on entry to the club. This ID card is considered a privilege and responsibility. The summer program also serves both breakfast and lunch FREE. You do not need to pay anything additional to the fee you pay to sign up as a member. The only extra fee you might pay is for field trips or if you need to drop your child off for the early bird program, (before 9am) which is $2 per day. Otherwise the hours are 9am-5pm, Monday through Friday.

So if it's so cheap, does that mean the quality of care is lower? Absolutely not, the staff members are highly qualified, either in college or have graduated from college. The teachers have bachelor's degrees in education and are licensed by the State of Wisconsin.

If this sounds too good to be true, I would recommend going to the downtown club and taking a tour. A staff member there would be happy to take you through the club, explain the programs and answer any questions you might have. That way you will be able to see for yourself what a high quality, positive program it is for kids.

For contact information for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley visit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America website and click on "Find a Club": http://www.bgca.org/