Thanks to Meeting Waters YMCA’s Y-ASPIRE program, hundreds of kids in southeastern Vermont and southwestern New Hampshire can continue to learn and develop important social skills even after the bell rings at the end of the school day.  At least as importantly, says Steve Fortier, the organization’s Executive Director, that also means that several hundred parents can work with the peace of mind that their child is in a safe and nurturing environment. “When Sue (Fortier, the Y’s Program Director) and I created Y-ASPIRE in 1998, we made sure that it would meet the needs of working parents,” said Fortier. “What we do at Y-ASPIRE is all about positive youth development. When we do Y-ASPIRE is all about supporting working parents.”

Enrollment for the Y’s After-School Program for Inspiration, Recreation and Education (Y-ASPIRE) is now open to the public for the 2015-16 school year.

Current Y-ASPIRE youth, parents and staff are hosting an Open House for prospective kids and parents as well as interested community members, on Tuesday, June 9^th. This free event will take place from 4-5pm.

The regional Y’s Walpole program takes place in the Primary School’s Community Room. The program serves kindergartners through sixth graders from Walpole Primary School, North Walpole School, and Walpole Elementary School.

The Y-ASPIRE program runs after school for each of the 180 school days. It also runs for full days on all school vacations and most holidays, as well as for half-days on teacher in-service and other early release days. In all, the program operates for over 210 days during the school year.

Each day of a Y-ASPIRE program includes physical activity, nutritious snack, assisted study time and a cooperative group project. Activities are centered around monthly themes such as Different But the Same; Our Community; and Kindness and Justice. Through various activities, students in Y-ASPIRE develop “life skills” such as cooperation, problem-solving, group decision-making and leadership. They also learn more about themselves, their community and their world. Service-learning projects benefit other community agencies. Monthly family events focus on strengthening healthy family habits.

Meeting Waters YMCA’s Y Day Camp program complements Y-ASPIRE to provide year-round “out-of-school” supports for kids and their parents. Bus service from Walpole, North Walpole and eight other NH and VT communities brings area children to the Y’s 52-acre Lewis Day Camp facility on Route 5 in Springfield, VT.

Financial assistance for both Meeting Waters YMCA “out-of-school” programs is available through the NH Childcare Scholarship program and Meeting Waters YMCA’s Reach Out to Youth scholarship fund which is supported by donations from local individuals, businesses and civic groups. As in all of the YMCA’s programs, no one will be denied access to Y-ASPIRE for lack of ability to pay full program fees.

For more information and registration materials, visit http://www.meetingwatersymca.org, call Meeting Waters YMCA’s main office at 802-463-4769 or email them at info@meetingwatersymca.org.

Meeting Waters YMCA is a charitable, non-profit, social service organization founded in 1895. Its services positively impact children, teens, families and communities throughout the Fall Mountain, Springfield, Bellows Falls and Brattleboro regions.