The Salvation Army's Kroc Center in Norfolk is once again giving local children an affordable place to go when the school day ends, offering meals, homework support and music lessons through its Heartstrings and Valves After School Program.
The program, which is made possible through federal funding and community partnerships, is open to children in first through sixth grade, and families are being encouraged to sign up. Late registration options are currently available for those who have not yet enrolled.
"There is a really big need in the community for children to have nutritious meals and for them to have somewhere to go after school," said Josie Showers, Director at the Salvation Army Kroc Center.
Showers said the program is designed to do far more than simply feed the children who attend. It aims to address several needs at once for families in the surrounding area.
"Our program, the Heartstrings and Valves After School Program, is really meant to bridge a gap and to give children in this surrounding area a place to get together and have a nutritious evening meal, have time for a little homework help, some great socialization, and they get to learn a music instrument," Showers said.
Program leaders say the effort is focused on supporting local children and families both inside and outside the classroom. They also stressed that the need for such services is not limited to households facing the most severe hardship.
"Because it is such an incredible need, even families that aren't necessarily in dire need, sometimes the struggle to find and afford nutritious meals is challenging," Showers said.
By combining an evening meal, academic support, social time and instrumental music instruction under one roof, the Kroc Center hopes the program will ease pressure on parents while giving children a safe and enriching environment after school.
Families interested in enrolling their children can take advantage of the late registration options that remain available through the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Norfolk.
