Photo Colton McKee

By Hayley Ferguson

Budget cuts put after-school program in jeopardy

Dec 10, 2019 | 6:40 PM

Medicine Hat, AB – To those involved, the North Flats Neighbourhood Association free after-school program is more than just a place for children to be supervised while their parents are still at work.

“Some of those children come from some really amazing homes. And some of them have some really sad stories where even Children Services may have been involved,” said executive director Charity Ehnisz.

That’s why the announcement that their funding could be at risk has caused Ehnisz and her peers to feel heartbroken.

The non-profit charity was told by the provincial government that they will stop receiving their traditional $177,000 in funding on March 31st.

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They will now have to apply for the funding with no guarantees that they will get any kind of that funding back.

Ehnisz says that as well as childcare, they are a prevention and early intervention program.

She says it’s also about showing the students how to be resilient and just how special they are.

“They can know that they are loved and valued and cared for. And that we’re their safe place.I think the most important thing. Because they are children. And they need to be protected. And they need to be cared for and they need to be valued. And here that’s where they feel safe,” Ehnisz said with tears in her eyes.

As well, they focus on activities that focus on academics, arts, physical activities, and emotional wellness.

“We do our best to work on their life skills and provide them with the needs that they have. We want to develop resiliency in them so that might be literacy and numeracy,” Ehnisz continued. “Or dealing with their emotions. Looking after their physical, mental, and emotional health and overall well being. So that they can be better people tomorrow and today.”

The program is run out of St.Louis school, but students from both there and Elm Street School are welcome to attend.

St.Louis principal Ron Blackmer says that to see students from both divisions come together means a lot.

“Students are very excited to come here for one thing. I also see the interaction between two school systems and two distinct school communities. Children getting together and working together and learning to get along with each other. And the socialization aspect is very important,” he said.

He added that it would be a major loss for all if they were to lose the funding.

“The mandate for this program, how it all started. Well, that need is just as strong, if not stronger then it was then. And I think now is a time, I hope, they could really look at this program specifically and carry on funding to help these parents as well as the children,” Blackmer said.

Both Blackmer and Ehnisz will be meeting with MLA Drew Barnes in the coming weeks to discuss the future of the program.

“What I will do is I will help them ensure that we can reach out to other alliances and partnerships for them. I will make sure that their application is very well noticed in Edmonton. And I will continue to fight hard for our region,” Barnes said.