Summer school, feeding programs growing

Jefferson City Public Schools' summer program continues to grow, as does the number of students to whom it and other local organizations and schools provide meals.

Sheila Logan, the district's director of special services, said enrollment for the school district's summer program is currently 2,500-2,600 students - about a 23-25 percent increase over last year.

"We're hoping to have about one-third of our kids in summer school," she said at the last Board of Education meeting.

Open enrollment and free transportation for bus-eligible students are two features of the program that were new last year and are being continued, she said.

Bus stops may be different than what people are used to during the school year, but she said families will get notification from First Student.

She said the summer preschool program is popular because it gives parents an opportunity to get their children acclimated to a school routine. High school summer enrollment has grown, too.

High school students can choose from courses to either recover credit lost during the year or get ahead: English for speakers of other languages; children and adult literature; personal finance; a food course as an elective; career connections; child development; driver's education; physical education; and E20/20, which offers credit recovery options for social studies, English, math and electives.

Logan said about 25 percent of the incoming freshman class is enrolled to take P.E. and health. Those students take those courses at the middle school they attended - Lewis and Clark or Thomas Jefferson.

Elementary and middle school students can take basic skills over the summer.

Jefferson City's summer school program will last for four four-day weeks, for a total of 16 days. May 30 is the first day, beginning on a Tuesday because of Memorial Day. The following three weeks will begin on Mondays and run through Thursdays, with June 22 being the last day.

Hours are 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. for the elementary and middle school programs, and 7:40 a.m.-3:40 p.m. for high school. Logan said every building except Simonsen 9th Grade Center and Jefferson City Academic Center will be involved. Students from those two buildings will be served at Jefferson City High School.

All students and staff in the summer program receive free breakfast and lunch too, as will any other school-age child who stops by, even if they aren't enrolled in the summer program.

During summer 2015, JCPS served about 28,000 breakfasts and 33,000 lunches over the course of its 20-day program. Terri Ferguson, the district's director of School Nutrition Services, said last summer they served 32,000 breakfasts and 36,000 lunches in 16 days.

Ferguson is anticipating serving even more meals this year. "It takes a few days to actually get a good idea of how many we're going to serve." She said staff plan for the most, and then can cut back on orders if not as many of the enrolled students attend.

The hours for breakfast are 7:30-8 a.m. At the Southwest Early Childhood Education Center, it's 7:45-8:15 a.m, and at JCHS, 7-7:40 a.m.

Lunch is served 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. At Southwest Early Childhood Center, it's 10:45-11:50 p.m., and 11:25-11:55 a.m. at JCHS.

Ferguson said anyone with questions can contact School Nutrition Services at 659-3123 or 659-3011.

After the district's free summer meal services end with its summer program on June 22, the feeding program with the Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri will begin on June 26.

Stacey Brown said the Food Bank's feeding program will run through Aug. 16, five days a week for lunch from noon-1 p.m. Brown is the children's programs coordinator for the Food Bank, which works with 132 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other agencies over a 32-county area.

She said the Food Bank will have four distribution points in Jefferson City: the playground in the 1000 block of Buena Vista Street; the Westview Heights cul de sac at Collier Court; Elston Acres Trailer Park; and the corner of Elm and Chestnut streets.

Over the course of last summer, she said the program served 4,789 children. The summer before, 4,088 children were served. This year, the Food Bank is anticipating at least 5,000.

If there are leftovers and only after all children have been served, she said, accompanying adults who'd like a meal can take one. The sack lunches will consist of a sandwich - like ham and cheese, turkey and cheese or peanut butter and jelly - fresh fruit or vegetables and a snack item, like cookies, a granola bar or fruit snacks.

There are also other local summer feeding sites with other schools and organizations:

Special Learning Center, 1115 Fairgrounds Road, breakfast from 7:30-8 a.m. and lunch 11 a.m.-noon, June 1-22, Monday through Thursday.

The Boys & Girls Club, 1105 Lafayette St., hot lunch from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and an afternoon snack at 3 p.m., May 30-Aug. 4 (for anyone 18 years old and younger), Monday through Friday.

The Dorothy Pack Community Center, 1306 Edmonds St., hot lunch from noon-1 p.m. and an afternoon snack at 3 p.m., July 5-Aug. 4, Monday through Friday. People with questions about this site or the Boys & Girls Club main site can call 634-2582.

First Baptist Church of Eldon, 209 S. Aurora St., lunch 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m., May 22-Aug. 11, Monday through Friday.

Linn Elementary School, 1212 E. Main St., breakfast 7:30-8:30 a.m. and lunch 10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., May 22-June 29, Monday through Thursday.

Osage R-1 Chamois, 614 S. Poplar St., breakfast 7:30-8:30 a.m. and lunch 11 a.m.-noon, May 31-June 23, Monday through Friday.

Russellville Elementary, 13111 Park St., breakfast 7:30-8:15 a.m. and lunch 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., May 15-June 2, Monday through Friday.

Eldon Upper Elementary School, 409 E. 15th St., breakfast 7:30-8 a.m. and lunch 10:30-11:30 a.m., June 1-28, Monday through Friday.

The News Tribune could not immediately confirm if the Firley YMCA was also a site again.