Manitowoc Boys & Girls Club to offer free after-school program at Washington Middle School for grades 6-8 this school year

MANITOWOC – Boys & Girls Club of Manitowoc County is opening a new location within Washington Middle School for youth in grades 6-8 starting in September, and Washington students will be able to access it for free in the first year of operation.

"This new club will serve an older group of youth than the existing Boys & Girls Club of Manitowoc County," a news release from the organization said. "(It) will expand the Boys & Girls Club's capacity to help youth grow and thrive through a diverse array of positive youth development programming."

The club at Washington will open for the 2024-2025 school year Sept. 3 and will offer services every school day from 3 to 6 p.m. It was developed through a partnership with the Manitowoc Public School District and was funded by a Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center grant through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the news release said.

Membership at the Washington Middle School location will be free for the 2024-2025 school year for all sixth- through eighth-grade students who attend school at Washington.

The club will have an array of youth development programs within five core areas — education, health and wellness, workforce readiness, character and leadership, and the arts.

This is the second location for the Boys & Girls Club of Manitowoc County. The first, 3651 Dewey St. in Manitowoc, opened in February 2022 and works with children ages 6-12. More than 250 children have participated in the club's services each year, according to the news release.

Alisa M. Schafer is a reporter for the Herald Times Reporter in Manitowoc. She can be reached by email at aschafer@gannett.com.