Ten Sleep After School program moves to library

TEN SLEEP – The Ten Sleep After School Program has found a new home at the Ten Sleep Library, after funding costs made the program almost impossible to maintain in 2015 and early 2016.

The service, which is free to Ten Sleep parents, has provided after school care, activities, and healthy snacks to kindergarten through fifth graders since 2003. Previously, The Ten Sleep Learning Center rented the old Ten Sleep Fire Hall from Ten Sleep Development for $500 per month, and utilities were paid by the school from the After School fund.

After reaching a financial crisis, Washakie County Commissioners stepped in and with help from a grant from Youth Alternatives, were able to transfer the program to the Library, under a new director.

“We had plans to expand the library, and I’ll probably be introducing those in December before the State Loan and Investment Board,” said Commissioner Aaron Anderson, “which would provide for a larger meeting space and an area to comfortably hold the kids.”

Supervising the program for the Library Board will be Ashley Weaver, a former kindergarten teacher from Kentucky, newly relocated to Ten Sleep.

“The program is being held in the reading room from 3:15 until 4:30 p.m.,” said Library Director Karen Funk.

Funk noted that the program gives the current 10 students the chance to catch up on homework and participate in book reading and computer time, while the original furnishings and toys from the old center are in storage.

“Moving the program to the library was an ‘out of the box’ way to keep the program intact and puts the kids in a safe place after school,” remarked Anderson.