Kennedy Opposes Proposal that would Hurt the Boys and Girls Clubs
MILFORD- State Rep. Kathy Kennedy (R-119) today submitted testimony opposing legislation which would severely hurt the Boys and Girls Club of Milford and other Boys and Girls Clubs across the state requiring the Clubs to either reconfigure their after-school programming style in order to fit into an alternate exemption or become licensed as a child care center.
The legislation, HB-5216, An Act Eliminating the Licensure Exemption for Certain Organizations Providing Child Care Services received a public hearing in the Education committee on March 6th.
“This bill could result in the Club serving significantly less children, there could be added costs to the working parents and ultimately the Club could be forced to close its doors,” said Rep. Kennedy. “Why would we change a successful working model and potentially negatively impact working parents in the greater Milford region and more importantly leave our most vulnerable children without a safe place to go after school.”
“I will always support measures increasing safety but we must remember that Clubs like, the Milford Boys and Girls Club are not day cares and only provide services to school aged children. Let’s not destroy a value asset to the community,” said Rep. Kennedy.
The Milford Boys and Girls Club, Executive Director Megan Altomare said, “The Boys & Girls Clubs support legislation that keeps kids safe – plain and simple. As a youth development after‐school program serving as an expansion of the school day, programs at local Clubs are designed to help youth succeed academically, make healthy choices, and become college and career ready. It is important to understand that Boy & Girls Club programs serve older children and teens, who do not align to many of the current licensing requirements such as diaper changing tables, nap cots and multiple caregivers, which is what daycare centers looking after infants would require.”
Altomare added, “Boys & Girls Clubs of America supports legislative efforts to ensure that all entities serving youth provide a safe and secure environment for all youth. Right now, as part of our advocacy work through the Agenda for America’s Youth, Boys & Girls Clubs of America is exploring all opportunities to adopt out‐of-school time standards for youth development organizations like us that are designed for the programs and age‐groups we serve. In many cases, our Clubs exceed state safety requirements for example, Connecticut requires background checks at least every five years when we require them annually.”
The Milford Boys and Girls Club provides academic enrichment and recreational activities to help young people ages 5-18 improve their lives by building self-esteem and developing values and skills during critical periods of growth. The program is available during those critical times of the day when youth might be home along, otherwise unsupervised with the possibility of being exposed to at risk behaviors. For working parents, the Boys and Girls Club of Milford is a safe, trusted program that helps our young people develop a positive social interaction, a place to learn respect and be inclusive of others and most importantly is an alternative to unsupervised street activities.
As a member of the Education committee, Rep. Kathy Kennedy plans to vote against any type legislation that would hurt the Boys and Girls Club if the bill proceeds to a vote in committee.
The Boys and Girls Club of Milford, Connecticut has served in excess of 600 children since 2006. The Club strives to ensure all students fulfill their potential each and every day and provides various programs for these school aged children up through high school.