The Boys & Girls Club is seeking 60 mew members to attend the after school program at the AAMOD building in Blytheville.
Elroy Brown, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, said through a grant called "TANF," these members will be allowed to attend free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.
The students must attend Blytheville Public School and be at least 5 years old to be in this program.
Brown said in America today, millions of young people are alone and unsupervised in the hours after school, before parents return home from work. This situation places children and teens at risk for juvenile crime, substance abuse, teen pregnancy and other problems, he said, and it means students are just wasting time when they could be learning. According to Brown, it leaves millions of working parents worried about their children when they should be focused on their jobs.
Brown said this unproductive, untenable and unacceptable situation would be remedied if our nation invested more fully in the after-school programs that keep kids safe, support working families, and help young people succeed in school and in life.
Brown said after-school hours are the peak time for juvenile crime and experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex.
For more information about this program call the Boys and Girls Club at 870-762-1788.