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After School registration begins
After school Web
Children at the afterschool program at Brooklet Elementary work and play in this file photo from 2006. Registration for afterschool programs at all Bulloch elementary schools is underway this week at the Honey Bowen Building in Statesboro. - photo by NAOMI BRYANT/staff
    When working parents need someone to supervise their kids after the school day is over, many turn to the Bulloch County Afterschool Program, which serves Pre-K to 5th grade and is held at every Bulloch elementary school.
    Through Friday parents can register their children for the program at the Honey Bowen Building between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
    Afterschool care is divided into two programs. R.E.C.E.S. (Recreation, Education, and Care every School day) runs until 4 p.m. and offers activities including freeplay, homework time, and games. "Our Time" lasts until 6 p.m. and is more structured.
    Both programs have proven very successful since their inception in 1989. Program Supervisor Joy Deal remembers how small the Parks and Recreation Department program was when she began work in 1993.
    "In 1993 we only served about 85 kids at four schools, but last year almost 700 were enrolled at nine schools," she said, "We expect about that number this year."
    Rico Pitts has worked with the Afterschool Program at Sallie Zetterower since 2001, and says that kids really look forward to afterschool activities.
    "During the day, they basically spend seven hours sitting at their desks, but after school they get to spend time with their friends and participate in a lot of activities," said Pitts, who prefers children call him by his first name.
    He said that the recent introduction of a variety of clubs including a cooking club, an arts club, a garden club, and a outdoor club "keeps kids excited" about the program.
    The program has earned rave reviews from parents as well as their children. Lisa Muldrew, a working mother who currently has one child enrolled in the program, says that she "feels very good about it as a mom."
    "It's very economical, and they really supervise the kids; they don't just let them run wild. A lot of times when I come to pick [my daughter] up she's having so much fun that she doesn't want to leave," Mulbrew said, "It's been wonderful."
    For parents interested in learning more about the program, there will be a Parent Orientation Meeting on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Those who attend will automatically be registered for various door prizes including one free month of afterschool care.
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