After school saviour for working parents

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In a town where job-sharing and long commutes to work are par for the course, it was with disappointment that ‘After 3’ school classes were to be discontinued from late last year through the withdrawal of funding by Mangawhai Beach School.

The school is, however, fully supportive of the service.

With long-term employment not always readily available locally this had become a vital community service to parents unable to pick their youngsters up when school ended or even maybe for a couple of hours afterwards.

The good news is that the Mangawhai After 3 Fun Factory, run by Jen Colgate and Jaki McLennan, is to continue and will re-open with the school year in a prepared facility at the home of Jen and Bruce Colgate in Jack Boyd Drive.

Jen is an artist and sculptor who has also had considerable experience among the street kids of Indonesia – not that Mangawhai kids are likely to be tarred with that brush.

“We won’t be dishing out more school work, but doing interesting things and activities, both indoor and outdoor, that the children are all keen to do,” says Jen. “Maybe introduce them to new things within the district which is, in itself, education.”

Though the supervision is organised it is more relaxed than the school room.

With co-operation from the school, schoolbus number 3 will take the children to Jack Boyd Drive which is on the existing bus route, where they will be fed healthy snacks and kept safe and entertained until their parents arrive.

The school has donated some furniture, art supplies and accessories and, with the experience gained from running the programme previously from school, it was not a major upheaval for Jaki and Jen to set up the new venue.

Crisis averted, the Mangawhai After 3 Fun Factory will operate for 5-10 year-olds,

Monday to Friday afternoons until 5.30 pm.

n Parents enquiring about the service should contact: Jen 431 5694, brucejenc@gmail.com or Jaki 021 183 7898, jakidoll@hotmail.com.

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