Submitted by North Thurston Public Schools
More than 800 students living in unstable housing attend North Thurston Public Schools (NTPS). If you caught ThurstonTalk’s 2023 article on how the district’s transportation department removes barriers for this portion of the student body, you might remember that the Boys & Girls Club serves as an after-school hub for students whose current sleeping arrangements might be in a car or on a family friend’s couch.
Thanks to the keen eyes and compassionate hearts of the NTPS transportation department and eager willingness to help on the part of the Boys & Girls Club, kindergarten through 12th-grade NTPS students experiencing housing instability can enroll in a safe, enriching after-school program and get assistance with to-and-from transportation.
Currently, about 90 NTPS students living in unstable housing attend the Lacey Boys & Girls Club after school. That number is expected to grow as the 2024-25 school year continues. Club fees are waived thanks to the agreement with the district and the students’ eligibility under the national McKinney-Vento Act, a federal law that entitles preschool and school-aged children experiencing unstable housing to certain rights.
Students eligible for McKinney-Vento services are picked up from schools around the district along with their housed peers at the end of the learning day and taken to the Lacey Boys & Girls Club. Anonymity is key—all students regardless of their circumstances receive the same services and experiences at the Boys & Girls Club.
“This partnership gives these kids a few hours of childhood back,” said Shellica Trevino, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Thurston County. “These kids don’t necessarily have a place where they feel at home. For just a couple of hours, they get to turn off those adult issues and play.”
Trevino pointed out these students might be living with another family. “Even the most well-intentioned people are still human, and sharing space is hard. Kids end up carrying those burdens,” she said. “At the Club, they get to be kids: Have a snack, do their homework, and hang out with other kids. The more moments like those we can give to them, the better off they’ll be when they become adults. They won’t carry so many adverse childhood experiences that can perpetuate unhoused circumstances.”
Once they’ve arrived, all students can access activities, support, and a snack. Students may choose to get help with their homework from a tutor or participate in a group movement activity in the gym. Kindergarten through 5th-grade students have a chance to rotate through activity stations. Middle school and high schoolers have access to teen-centric activities and support. Around the time other students’ parents start picking them up, NTPS buses return to the Boys & Girls Club to pick up students experiencing housing instability and take them to their current address, which could be as far away as Burien or Aberdeen.
“Childcare is a real concern for many of these families,” says Brenda McAferty, the district’s McKinney-Vento and foster care liaison. Enrollment at the Boys & Girls Club after school for their children means their parents can work when they need to. “They can try to get back on their feet and create some stability.”
Amber is the parent of a student who participated in and benefited from this partnership. “The transportation North Thurston provided to my family helped us tremendously during a difficult time,” she said. “Had we not had the transportation set up to and from Boys & Girls Club, the situation would have negatively impacted my work schedule and added more stress and harm to an already challenging time. It allowed my family to continue with a little bit of normalcy and reassurance at a moment in our lives that had a lot of struggle and hardship.”
Around the 2016-2017 school year, NTPS bus drivers alerted district officials to an increase in the number of students getting off the bus and stepping into questionable living conditions. There were also more behavioral challenges occurring on the rides home because students returning to unstable housing were acting out under stress. Concern for the students’ well-being led the district to approach the Boys & Girls Club with the idea of bussing students with unstable housing to the Club. The Boys & Girls Club waives more than $1 million in fees in the form of need-based scholarships, but this direct line of connectivity from the district meant the Club could help even more students.
“This took individuals in the district’s transportation department stopping and saying that these were their students even after the school bell rings,” Trevino said. “How can we help make the after-school portion of the day more successful?” She applauds NTPS for leading the way in supporting some of Thurston County’s most vulnerable students. Olympia and Yelm Community school districts are beginning to roll out similar partnerships.
NTPS and the Boys & Girls Club are proud to support students experiencing housing instability and their families and to inspire other districts to do the same.
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