Welcome to Kids Co. at Decatur, located at Decatur Elementary School! My name is Vanessa Kitchner (you can read all about me in the bio section) and I am the program manager here at Decatur. I wanted to tell you a little bit about our program. Each day is a new adventure here at Decatur. Both mornings and afternoons, we always offer some sort of enrichment activity. These range from art projects, science experiments to active games inside and outside the classroom. We also offer opportunities for youth to plan activities to share with the group. We really believe it is all about the Kids!

Due to our size, we also split the age groups up. First through third graders are in our main classroom and our fourth and fifth graders use another classroom across the cafeteria. This allows staff to really cater to the different ages in our program and create activities with youth to engage in.

In addition, Monday-Thursday we offer designated homework time, outside time and free play during structured times. (please see daily schedule) On Fridays, we have Free Day Fridays, where youth get to choose their activity, get outside earlier and take a break from homework for a day, if they want. Every day we also serve a healthy breakfast and light snack in the mornings and afternoons.

Before and After School Clubs

Kids Co. at Decatur is unique in that it also organizes all of the before and after school clubs. Clubs are open to all Decatur families and we offer a variety of different clubs each term. We do our best to align club terms with the various breaks in the school year, but we offer three different terms over the course of the year. Some of our most popular clubs are Creative Coding for Kids, Sewing, Adventures in Crafting and Minecrafting, Art wizards and various sports classes. For a full list of club offerings and schedules, please visit the Decatur PTA website.

Lastly, the staff here at Decatur are truly wonderful and well-seasoned. Every day you can expect to be greeted warmly by any of the staff working. We have had some staff here since 2012, staff who have worked at other Kids Co.’s and newer staff who have quickly become invested in the Kids Co. world.