By Taylor Boyd
Patrick County Public Schools is set to become the first Virginia partner of Healthy Kids, a New York-based business that works to provide affordable after-school and summer childcare programs.
Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Andrea Cassell said the business initially reached out to the school division via a mass email about after-school care.
Noting the county lacks the private centers and partnerships with organizations like Boys and Girls Clubs for childcare, Cassell said the division had already been talking about and looking for potential after-school care providers.
“We reached out to say we might be interested, and then we set up a meeting and found out that nobody in Virginia uses them,” she said.
Cassell said the summer program is kind of the soft launch of the Patrick County Healthy Kids partnership.
The summer program is open to K-5 students from all over the county. It will run from June 1 to June 25 at Blue Ridge Elementary School and Stuart Elementary School. The program will be offered Monday-Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Cassell said the summer program will be held in the cafeterias at the two schools, with students also able to use the gym, the playground, and a classroom area.
“They’ll have time for some fine arts activities, some physical activities, and of course some more instructional, hands-on activities,” she said.
Cassell said the division’s food services program will provide meals for the summer program.
“They are working to employ, first of all, directors for the program, which would be local people. They have talked with some of our staff members. I think certainly if they don’t find staff members within our staff members, they’ll branch out to other community members. So, it’ll offer some employment for folks, for both summertime and then moving into after-school care,” Cassell said.
The after-school care will start being offered in the 2026-27 school year, and will be held at every elementary school, except for Patrick Springs Primary and Hardin Reynolds Memorial, which will be combined at Patrick Springs.
“Families will be able to choose which option works best for them. Typically, our day ends at 3 p.m., and they could either choose a two-hour after-school program or a three-hour. Some families could pick up at 5 p.m. if that worked for them, or 6 p.m.,” she said.
Cassell said there will be time dedicated for students to receive help with homework and schoolwork, enjoy physical activities, and other activities like art and music.
“They’re going to integrate a lot of different avenues that would interest a variety of students,” she said.
Cassell said interested families will have to pay to enroll their children in the summer and after-school programs.
“There is a scale listed for them to pay. They also accept subsidies, so families will be able to utilize that option as well. Of course, summer (costs) will be different from the after-school care,” she said.
From looking at estimated pricing, Cassell said she believes the summer program costs are in line with after-school daycare facilities rates in surrounding counties.
“I haven’t seen the actual price list that will go out for after-school care, but I’m hoping that it’s going to be close to the estimates we were provided when we signed on with this agency,” she said.
While the exact number of applicants for both programs is unknown, Cassell said Healthy Kids feels positive it can accommodate any number of enrolled students.
Schools Superintendent Dr. Jason Wood said this partnership will help with the county’s child care needs.
“We’re very excited with this release, and we’ll be sending that flyer out on social media,” he said.
Rob Martin, of the Dan River District, said he’s extraordinarily thankful to Wood and his team for working to create the partnership with Healthy Kids.
“I think it’s going to be immense for our citizens, the students, and the community. I remember when we had just moved to Ararat many years ago, and my wife was trying to continue her education. If it hadn’t of been for just the citizens that we knew that offered to watch my kids and stuff like that while I worked, we’d have never gotten through it. I hope this is a very successful program that continues for years to come,” Martin said.
Chairman Amy Walker, of the Mayo River District, said she believes the entire board is familiar with the learning loss that students face over summer vacation.
“I am so thankful for this program for our kids. I think it’s going to be a wonderful tool that we can use to continue our education with our kids and just see some really fantastic things come out of the program,” Walker said.
For more information about Healthy Kids and its offered programs, go to www.healthykidsprograms.com, email varegistration@healthykidsprograms.com, or call (845) 330-0200.
