The Starke County Youth Club aims to be a support system for children, families and the three county school corporations.
“We know that schools are under tremendous pressure to have kids succeed academically, and that a lot of funding for schools is tied to how kids perform on standardized tests. That’s really a lot to ask of a school community. It is part of our job to ensure we are supporting what the schools need to accomplish.”
Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says the Starke County Youth Club does that by providing after school enrichment programs for 600 youngsters at four sites across the county. All of the programs are based in local schools, so Szakonyi says the staff is in constant contact with teachers, administrators and others to make sure students are getting what they need. She says children who succeed academically have a greater likelihood of being successful adults.
As a result of budget cuts, many schools have had to increase class sizes. Szakonyi says the Starke County Youth Club focuses on having a low student-to-staff ratio in order to facilitate its hands-on approach to learning.
The Starke County Youth Club’s 7th Annual WKVI Radiothon will take place Friday, May 2 starting at 10 a.m. CDT right here on WKVI. They hope to raise $40,000. Find more information about the club on their website, http://www.thescyc.org/index.html. We’ll also feature more information about the programs and services they offer each day on the news.
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