Lmst

So yeah, the local #GirlsClub was a big part of my life. My Greek- and Lebanese-American cousins who lived in the neighborhood showed me how to cook in the Club's kitchen. Adult relatives attempting to teach me cooking was always a bit problematic for me. But my cousins were patient and kind (and silly), and having our "own" kitchen to experiment in was brilliant -- as long as we cleaned up afterwards!

#AfterSchoolCare #AfterSchoolPrograms #BoysClub #TrumpBudgetCuts #TrumpSucks

More than 20 states sue Trump administration over frozen #AfterSchoolCare, #SummerPrograms and more.

Some of the withheld money funds after-school and summer programming at Boys & Girls Clubs, the #YMCA or #PublicSchools, attended by 1.4 million children and teenagers nationwide

By BIANCA VÁZQUEZ TONESS
Updated 5:12 PM EDT, July 14, 2025

Excerpt: "At the East Providence summer camp, Aiden, a rising third grader, played tag, built structures with magnetic tiles, played a fast-paced game with the other kids to review addition and subtraction, learned about pollination, watched a nature video and ate club-provided chicken nuggets.

"Veteran teachers from his school corrected him when he spoke without raising his hand and offered common-sense advice when a boy in his group said something inappropriate.

" 'When someone says something inappropriate, you don’t repeat it,' teacher Kayla Creighton told the boys between answering their questions about horseflies and honeybees.

"Indeed, it’s hard to find a more middle-of-the road organization in this country than the Boys & Girls Club.

"Just last month, a Republican and a Democrat sponsored a resolution in the U.S. House celebrating the 165-year-old organization as a 'beacon of hope and opportunity.' The Defense Department awarded the club $3 million in 1991 to support children left behind when their parents deployed for the Persian Gulf. And ever since, the Boys & Girls Club has created clubs on military installations to support the children of service members. Military families can sign up their kids for free.

[...]

"Aiden’s mother has started looking into afternoon child care for September when kids return to school in Rhode Island.

" 'It costs $220 a week,' Reyes said, her eyes expanding. 'I can’t afford that.'

"The single mother and state worker said she’ll probably ask her 14-year-old son to stay home and watch Aiden. That will mean he would have to forgo getting a job when he turns 15 in the fall and couldn’t play basketball and football.

" 'I don’t have any other option,' she said.

"At home, Aiden would likely stay inside on a screen. That would be heartbreaking since he’s thrived getting tutoring and 'learning about healthy boundaries' from the Boys & Girls Club program, Reyes said."

#TechAddiction #NatureBasedLearning #Tutoring #AfterSchoolPrograms #SummerPrograms #Learning #BoysClub #GirlsClub #USPol #TrumpHatesThePoor #TrumpHatesChildren #TrumpSucks #BigUglyBill #BigUglyDespot!