BUENA PARK : After-School Play Offers TV Alternative

Sixth-grader Candice Fredrick would rather stay after school and play football than go home and watch television.

“I get a lot more exercise,” said Candice, an 11-year-old student at Buena Terra School.

Classmate Ahmad Wright, 12, said he also likes the after-school recreation program because it gives him something to do.

“I get to play with my friends longer,” he said. “And it makes me feel good because I’m exercising and I don’t go home and watch TV all day. I feel like I do something.”

These students are among the youngsters enrolled in “Stay & Play,” a supervised recreation program offered by the city of Buena Park and Centralia School District. City recreation leaders visit school campuses once a week after school and provide a variety of free activities, including basketball, track and field, volleyball and other sports. The program is offered at five Centralia schools Monday through Friday. About 50 students participate a day.

“Sports is the emphasis,” said Kim M. Garber-Bond, city recreation supervisor. “We’ll play anything--dodge ball, tag games--whatever the kids request as long as it’s action.”

Garber-Bond created the unique partnership with the city and school district.

“We provide the alternative to drugs and alcohol,” Garber-Bond said. “We actually service the latchkey kids who go home and watch TV after school.”

Garber-Bond said that because funding for such programs is scarce, joining city and school district resources is the “wave of the future.”

“Budgets are being cut by schools and cities,” she said. “But we’ve got the staff and (the school district) has the schools and the grants.”

Garber-Bond said the program is funded by a $14,000 state grant given to the school district. The program is funded through May, 1993, she said.

Garber-Bond said she spent five years to get the program started on campuses last January. It took so long because of the paperwork, liability issues and contracts involved, she said.

“It took a humongous effort to get the program off the ground,” she said.

Garber-Bond said she thought of the idea of bringing recreation programs to the children on their school campuses after she noticed that attendance at city recreation programs had dropped.

“I went by schools and saw that teachers were trying to get kids off the playgrounds,” she said, adding that students tend to hang out on campus when school is out.

“I thought: ‘What a great marriage,’ ” she said.

School officials also believe the program is a positive partnership for students.

“I think it’s extremely valuable in providing another avenue for children to make connections to their schools other than just doing book work,” said Buena Terra Principal Doug DeVore. “It is a place where they can come and participate in organized activities--and the more connections we can make, the more positive they feel about school and become better learners.”

DeVore said about 150 Buena Terra students participate in Stay & Play and he hopes the program is continued in school years to come.

But Garber-Bond said the program’s continuance depends on funding. “Hopefully, it’ll be renewed again in September,” she said.

Garber-Bond said she hopes businesses will adopt the program at the schools.

Students agreed that the program should be continued.

“I hope after I graduate from elementary school that the kids have the chance to experience it too,” Ahmad Wright said.