After-school options abound in Lincoln as classes start again

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – School is back in session, which means after-school programs are as well.

In Lincoln, there are plenty of options available to parents and guardians for after-school care.

Lincoln Public Schools, the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, churches and many more have options for students once the final school bell rings.

SEE ALSO: Low-income students get free tablets and backpacks at Lincoln back-to-school bash

The Malone Center offers a plethora of programs for students ages preschool through high school.

“We offer STEM programs, such as Flying Classroom, Gumdrop Outdoors, which is agriculturally based,” said Christian Clinton, out of school youth supervisor. “And during the school year, we have college prep courses for our fifth (grade) through middle school-aged kids, along with a peer group, where kids get to come in and interact with not only the staff but their peers as well.”

The center also offers options for preschool students. Clinton said that program added 20 kids this coming school year, and the reception has been great.

SEE ALSO: Officials urge caution on the road as Lancaster County students return to school

“The parents give us a lot of good feedback, he said, and are “in full support of what we’re doing here at the Malone.”

The Malone also offers transportation from school to the center and athletics inside the John Fry Gymnasium.

“Having the open space and the gym space to be able to bring the kids in and run different activities and everybody to stay engaged involved while having their peers of different ages around them, I think allows us to keep the Malone family together,” Clinton said.

SEE ALSO: How to ease your kids’ anxiety about the start of a new school year

Lincoln Lighthouse also offers after-school programs with a wide variety of activities and meals free of charge for sixth through 12th graders.

“We have structured recreational activities, we have video games, stuff like that because, of course, we want kids to be able to just be kids,” Executive Director Bill Michener said. “We also have a homework room, and we want to focus on that aspect.”

He said the organization works with students to set goals and “make sure they’re reaching their goals.”

SEE ALSO: Lincoln professional organizer gives back-to-school organization advice

Michener says the organization is focused on relationship building through restorative practices, which he said give a voice to people who don’t have one.

“And teenagers don’t have the voice; adults hold the power,” he said. “So, with us using those restorative principles, then we’re starting with them. They have their own voice.”