Programs

Kids and teens may walk through our doors for the fun we offer, but we do far more than entertain them. Our nationally recognized programs and activities impact youth in three essential ways:

• Academic success—Improving grades, reducing high school drop-out rates, and teaching kids to see themselves as learners.
• Good character and citizenship—Encouraging community service, reducing juvenile crime rates, and instilling an attitude of engagement.
• Healthy lifestyles—Teaching healthy behaviors, reducing drug use and childhood obesity, and fostering a positive self-image.

Child Care

Licensed Childcare at the Joel E Smilow Clubhouse at Rainier Vista serves youth primarily in grades K-3 and focuses on the development of these youth in a variety of social, recreational and educational settings. 

The program contains components focusing on the BGCA Impact 2012 areas of academic success, good character/citizenship and healthy lifestyles.  The school-year program is structured with activities, homework help, athletic skill development and a low staff to student ratio.  Participants follow an individual education plan for continued academic success, and staff works in conjunction with teachers to provide further assistance to our members.  Boys and Girls Club “Wanna Play” and “Triple Play” curriculum fosters healthy lifestyles and keeps our kids active after school.

Fall 2010 programs include Power Hour, Cooking Class, Arts Programming, Unique Sports Exposure and Environmental Awareness. 

.

Healthy Snacks

The Childcare program provides our members with a healthy afternoon snack that consists of a grain, fruit and dairy component.  Participants are involved in choosing snack menu items and learning how to prepare snacks for their fellow members.  Combining our healthy snack program with our gardening curriculum will begin in September 2010. 

State Licensing

The K-3 Licensed Childcare program is licensed by the State of Washington Department of Early Learning.  We follow all state guidelines for a Childcare program and all King County Health policies.  This allows us to offer state DSHS Working Connections Childcare funding to parents that qualify. 

Care and Custody

Staff takes pride in providing care and custody for our members, and participants are always supervised by a well qualified staff member certified in STARS training, First Aid/CPR/AED training, Bloodborne Pathogens training, HIV/AIDS training and other youth development principles. 
Staff
Director – Tom Tidyman
Assistant Childcare Coordinator – Tila Woods
Assistant Childcare Coordinator – Kayleigh Pletcher
Childcare Assistant – Patrice Entenman
Childcare Assistant – Ryan Applegate
Childcare Staff – Marissa Yates
Childcare Staff – Alexis Ballard

Important dates:

2010-2011 School Year Childcare Begins: September 8, 2010 

7:00am-9:00am and 2:30-6:30pm Mon-Fri

Seahawks Spirit Day - September 10, 2010

Worldwide Day of Play - September 24, 2010

No School Day - October 8, 2011                                  7:30am-6:00pm

Winter Break Camp Week 1- December 20-23, 2011                        7:30am-6:00pm

Winter Break Camp Week 2 - December 27-30, 2011                        7:30am-6:00pm

Club Tech

Club Tech's Skill Tech Programs

Through the support of founding partner Microsoft and Best Buy Children’s Foundation, BGCA offers the Skill Tech: Basic Training and Skill Tech II programs to members of all ages and technical abilities. In Skill Tech: Basic Training members learn how to use various Microsoft software programs, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher and Digital Image Pro through animated lessons and instructor-led group activities. Skill Tech II features three modules for beginner, intermediate and advanced skill levels. Participants learn about hardware identification and installation, networking and technology-related careers. The Skill Tech programs, available at www.myclubmylife.com, are a part of Club Tech’s mission to prepare America’s youth for success in school and the 21st Century workforce.

Game Tech offers a solid foundation for Club members who want to know if they have what it takes to be a part of this exciting and growing career field.
Starting with more simple designs of previously developed and more familiar games, members work their way through the design process. You move on to learning how to manipulate a character and add animation. Those who have a real passion for this may even eventually create your own simple games at the end of the course.

Digital Arts Suite
Among the many programs within the Club Tech family is the Digital Arts Suite, a collection of five programs combining arts and technology, designed to incorporate the best learning approaches in a high-tech setting for kids in the areas of Web design; graphic design and animation; digital photography and photo editing; digital movies and digital music.
ClayTech Claymation is a form of stop-motion animation that uses clay characters and props. This fun, hands-on introduction to animation will teach you to create storyboards, build characters, and film and edit your own movie. Even if you’ve never made a video, you can create your own claymation movie.

RoboTech Robotics may seem difficult, but the most important thing to know about the RoboTech program is that it's easy, fun and anyone can do it! You can build and program your own robot using the simple steps of this program and a Lego Mindstorms kit.

BGCA also launched MyClubMyLife.com, an online community that offers fun, entertaining, and above all safe, online content. Some components of the site include: lessons on Internet safety; access to Club Tech learning resources; activities, promotions and games; links to other teen-related sites; and music, streaming video and audio reports by Club reporters.

A major milestone was reached in 2007 with the opening of the 2,000th in-Club technology center. Microsoft’s generous software gift has helped BGCA deliver state-of-the art technology to those who need it most.

By providing young people with better online and computing resources, Boys & Girls Clubs can fill the gap for those without adequate resources in schools and at home. Acquiring Club Tech skills not only helps users navigate the World Wide Web, it enables them to better navigate life.

Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative

The Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative (SYVPI) was established in 2009 by the City of Seattle to address the issue of youth violence.
With the help of caring citizens, city agencies, and several community base organizations eligible youth (between the ages of 12-17 and who either reside or go to school in Central, SE and/or SW Seattle) are offered an opportunity to participate in the SYVPI allowing youth access to a variety of services and opportunities, including but not limited to: Intensive Case Management, Aggression Replacement Training (ART), Recreation, Mentoring, Job Training/ Employment, and other skill enhancement programs and activities.
SYVPI and Smilow in SE Seattle
A consortium of agencies led by the Smilow Clubhouse coordinate the SYVPI efforts in SE Seattle. SYVPI SE Area/Network Coordinating Team Consist of 2 staff: Heidi Henderson-Lewis, SE Network Coordinator & Marty Patu, SE I & R Specialist. Currently SE Network has 365+ youth voluntarily enrolled in the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative (SYVPI).  If you are interested in getting yourself enrolled into the SYVPI SE Network or you want to make a referral for someone else you can fill out a referral form and fax (206.725.2662) or mail/drop it off to us (at Smilow Clubhouse - 4520 MLK Jr. Way S. Seattle WA 98108) an someone will be in touch with you immediately upon receiving your referral form.
Recently a Community Action Team has been formed to support the Goals of the SE Network Coordinating team (See below for more info).
SE Network Community Action Team 
SYVPI is built on the concept of community leadership and ownership. The SE Network embodies that concept by individuals taking ownership of their community needs as it relates to youth violence and deciding to assemble themselves as a team, and take a lead on action items that support and further the mission of their community SYVPI Network to decrease youth violence.
This team consists of Parents/guardians, youth, various individuals from the community, business, school and faith based sectors who care about the SE Seattle Community. 
This team directs, prioritizes, organizes, and implements many action items/strategies to decrease youth violence in the SE Community.
This team meets regularly and will have subcommittees to work on specific action items.
This team is motivated and currently working on an action item to engage other community members (like you) and parents/caregivers to become involved through participation in the Action Team and/or other activities.  

If you are interested in joining the many community members in supporting the SE Community and Network on the action team, please contact Heidi Henderson-Lewis at 206.436.1898

For general questions about the SE Network feel free to contact Heidi Henderson-Lewis at 206.436.1898 or Marty Patu at 206.436.1894

Click here to view our Athletics programs!