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Boys and Girls Club expands to accommodate growth

The Boys and Girls Club of Cochrane and Area's (BGCCA) Fifth Avenue location is expanding to accommodate growing numbers.
The Club 2
The main space of The Club, a new teen-only space created by the Boys and Girls Club of Cochrane and Area, includes cafe style tables, a baby grand piano, a full chef-style kitchen and a T.V. and sofa area. The Club opened at the beginning of the year.

The Boys and Girls Club of Cochrane and Area's (BGCCA) Fifth Avenue location is expanding to accommodate growing numbers.

Heather Louden, the group's new communication assistant, said the plan is to re-work the upper level, which is currently mostly administrative space, for after school care for Grade 4 to Grade 6 students. Grades one to three will utilize the lower level while the Glenbow Elementary School location will cater solely to kindergarten students.

The need to expand reflects the organization's overall upward trend in clientele. Across all the club's programs – which includes dayhome child care services –  numbers have skyrocketed to 5,050 children and youth enrolled in 2018 from 2,310 the year prior.

January's opening of the new teen space, The Club, also bolstered the BGCCA's numbers and programming options as the facility designed to provide a safe gathering space for community teens saw usage numbers climb from 82 in January to 227 in April.

The Club offers a range of programs including a cooking course, tutoring opportunities, jam sessions or simply a place to hangout and play games and relax.

Louden said the community and construction company Four Leaf Corp made the space possible with donations and gifts-in-kind support.

This summer, The Club will offer summer trip opportunities for community teens in addition to its regular summer programming options for younger children. There are also plans to add more events, including ones geared to the LGBTQ community at the Club.

Louden said the goal is to make The Club as inclusive and supportive as possible.

Louden attributes the BGCCA's growth and success to more people being aware of the organizations' services and its commitment to excellence. 

"We really have a passion for what we are doing," said Louden.

Adoption of the Getting Ready for Inclusion Today (GRIT) and the Guiding Responsive Approaches to Strengthening Practice (GRASP) programs are two examples of the BGCCA working toward improving services for its clients. Both programs help care workers provide better developmental support to the children. In addition, Play Days now provides 11 training programs to local partnering care providers, which helped one provider earn a provincial award.

Charlotte Harrison won the Alberta Award of Excellence for Childcare Professionals award due to receiving a score of higher than 75 per cent in three consecutive evaluations through the GRIT program.

"The “TPOT evaluation” is the process GRIT uses to evaluate the inclusive interactions between staff and the children, the families, and their coworkers. It is basically an in-depth check list which focuses on an individual’s engagement, language and behaviour," said Louden.

Harrison, who works with the after school care program, said it feels good to be recognized for the award after all the work that has gone into developing it and training the staff.

"We are one of the first demo sites in the Calgary region for the program," she said, adding the program offers great tools to support children both behaviourally and emotionally.

As BGCCA continues to grow, Louden said the organization is always looking for ways to enhance its services and increase capacity.

While the BGCCA charges fees for its services, as a non-profit organization that subsidizes its rate, it does rely on community donations and community grants,

On July 11, BGCAA will thank the community for all its support with a pancake breakfast at its Fifth Avenue location from 7 a.m. to noon.

For more information on the organization and to see its current and upcoming fundraising initiatives, go to http://www.bgccochrane.ca/

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