BURBANK : After-School Service for Kids Expanded

Burbank has expanded an after-school recreation program for elementary schools that need help providing day-care services when the final bell rings.

Starting Tuesday, the program--which began last year on a trial basis on one campus--will now include five schools. From the end of class until 5:30 p.m., children will be provided with games, tournaments, crafts, snacks and quiet time for homework.

The program was started at Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School last year because of concerns about children who remained on campus after hours.

On Tuesday, the City Council voted 5 to 0 to expand the program to Joaquin Miller, George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt and Robert Louis Stevenson elementary schools, although students at Roosevelt and Stevenson will be cared for in nearby Verdugo Park.

The program will cost $71,000, but city officials said it pays for itself.

In the trial run, parents paid $20 per week per child, and last year the city recouped all of the money approved by the City Council.

“We brought in $15,876 in fees,” said Burbank Parks and Recreation Director Mary Alvord. “Our revenues were higher than what we spent.”

The program will have a ratio of one adult leader to every 10 to 12 students. There will be three adult leaders at Emerson, two each at Miller and Washington, and four for the program at Verdugo Park.

So far, parents have not complained that they cannot afford the program, but if such families come forward, the city would consider offering scholarships, Alvord said.