UWSP’s Latchkey program receives national support for local work

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s (UWSP) Student Wisconsin Education Association (StWEA) Latchkey Program has received a $1,000 National Education Association (NEA) grant to continue its work on an after school program at Jefferson School in Stevens Point.

This funding news follows recent accolades as the chapter received six awards at the Wisconsin Education Association’s annual state representative assembly in Green Bay.

Latchkey is a free program offered to students between kindergarten and fourth grade providing a safe, supervised and structured environment for children who would otherwise be on their own after school.

According to StWEA latchkey coordinator, Amanda Haack, "UWSP student volunteers are vital to the program’s overall success. From individual tutoring to arts and crafts, the NEA grant supports these and other learning activities throughout the school year."

Volunteers bring individual experiences and skills to the program each semester and serve as teachers Monday through Friday from 3:30 – 5 p.m. About 35 students from Jefferson Elementary School in Stevens Point are served through this grant.

"The UWSP students are marvelous and professional in every regard," said John Zellmer, principal at Jefferson School. "The students through their elected leadership write the grant applications, create the actual school activities and literally run the entire program. The Latchkey program has proven to be an invaluable part of the many programs at Jefferson, a program I would not want this school to be without."

StWEA has eight executive board members that support the ongoing success of the program. Haack of Madison and Sarah Lukaszewski of Winona, Minn., are the two executive board members who coordinate the after school program. Both Haack and Lukaszewski were recognized while attending the annual assembly in Green Bay.

With about 350 members, UWSP’s StWEA chapter is twice as large as any other in the state with members participating in a variety of education related projects. StWEA’s Latchkey program was developed in 1989 with the help of an NEA Community Learning Through Americas Schools grant and funding from local private and public sectors.

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