Meeteetse Recreation District RecKids Program
Unrestricted Grantmaking from WYCF
This story is from our Fall 2023 newsletter. See the full newsletter here!
When Brodie Serres was younger, her dream job was to be Director of the Meeteetse Recreation District (MRD). When she finally landed her dream job, she began by asking others, “How can we make this community better?”
After hearing from families in Meeteetse, the overwhelming answer to that question was “better childcare.” Parents in Meeteetse did not have many choices for childcare or afterschool programs. They could load their kids up early in the morning and commute to Cody, or one parent had to stay home. Sometimes grandparents or relatives helped look after the kids.
“Families were losing out on opportunities because there was no quality daycare option in Meeteetse they could count on,” says Brodie. “We would love to be able to create more opportunities for our children and continue to give them a safe, fun, and caring place to go, learn, and play.”
Toddlers are taught some of the basics like shapes and colors in MRD’s program and are able to enter Kindergarten more prepared.
Because of your support, the Meeteetse Recreation District received a grant to expand their RecKids program, the only afterschool and summer childcare facility in town.
Funding and space were two problems the MRD was faced with improving the RecKids program. Because of WYCF’s grant, the afterschool program for elementary students was extended from two days a week to three. The MRD also created a brand-new childcare program for the community’s toddlers.
The toddler program became popular fast. “It quickly became obvious there was a need for more than just a few hours a week,” says Brodie. “The toddler program started off with two half-days a week, but after a few months, the toddler program continued to grow and gain popularity and we now operate three full days a week.”
The success of the Meeteetse toddler programs was a direct result of your generosity.
The community has been incredibly supportive. Brodie recalls hearing back from parents about how impressed they were with the quality of care and education their children receive.
The RecKids facility gets packed when there are multiple age groups at once. So while weather is nice they utilize outdoor spaces and other places around Meeteetsee, like the library for storytime.
“If parents know there is affordable childcare, they can stay here or move here, and maybe both parents can go back to work. They can make money again,” Brodie says. “Extending the toddler program really opened up our community. It kept kids in town and out of their car seats.”
Looking to the future, Brodie is excited to make RecKids even better. Currently they are working out of a small rented space. With growing numbers in both their toddler and kindergarten through fifth grade programs, it’s a game of Tetris fitting all the kids in the facility. The MRD is in the process of building a new community center to fill more needs in Meeteetse. Brodie hopes to see spaces for middle schoolers to hang out after school, and opportunities for more sports and recreation with the new space.
Meeteetse is a growing community with younger families looking to call it home. Because of YOU, the Meeteetse Recreation District can support that goal with safe and reliable childcare.