FAQ's

The Club is not a daycare. It provides after school and summer programs including homework help and tutoring, game room, arts & crafts, leadership clubs, sports and athletics, computer lab and a teen center. It is a safe place for children after school and during the summer where they can play, learn and grow. It is a place where they can explore their interests and have fun.

Children who attend the Club tend to increase their GPA by one full point and have less problems with the law. The majority of alumni surveyed, report that they felt the Club saved their lives and over 95% felt it was the best thing in their neighborhood. It is "The Positive Place for Kids." It is the way to help our children become productive, responsible and caring adults.

The Club is open Monday through Friday after school until 8 pm. During the summer it is open from 8 am until 6 pm. On other school holidays the Club is open from 8 am until 6 pm. The Club is closed for a short period at the end of the school year and the end of the summer for maintenance and staff training. It is also closed for certain holidays. The Club posts holiday closings in advance.

For safety reasons, the Club restricts membership. Just before school begins and before summer the Club will have sign up days. Once the Club has reached its maximum safe membership number, membership will close. Each month the staff will look at attendance and will open additional slots if possible. The Club keeps a waiting list and when additional slots become available attempts to contact those on the list before opening membership to the general public.

The school year program breaks down to less than 27 cents a week or 5.5 cents per day (about a penny per hour) during the school year, and $5 a week or $1 a day (about ten cents per hour) for the summer. Basically, it costs about the same as a stick of gum to send your child to a safe place after school everyday or less than a 20 oz soft drink per day during the summer. I hope everyone believes that a child is worth more than a drink and a stick of gum.

The Club does not currently charge any other program fees. The Club may have an occasional field trip and there may be a fee to participate. The Club does have some drink and snack machines which the children may use. They may also bring their own snacks and drinks.

The Boys & Girls Club welcomes all children regardless of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, or economic status. There is no requirement concerning where a child lives. The Club truly is open to all children. It is a positive place where all children can come to learn and play.

The Boys & Girls Club of Gregg County does not provide any transportation services to or from the Club (except for field trips). Children arrive at the Club several different ways. Some children are dropped off by their parents, some come on the school bus and some walk.

Yes. The Boys & Girls Club of Gregg County is not a daycare. It is not licenced by the Texas Department of Regulatory and Protective Services. According to the law, one of the primary differences between a daycare and an after school program is how children depart the facility. The Boys & Girls Club is required by law to allow children to leave without regard to how or who they leave with.

The Club maintains about a 20 to 1 ratio of kids to adults. There is always an adult in any area the Club has open. When volunteers are in the building the ratio is often reduced to as little at 5 to 1. Background checks are conducted on all adults who work in this facility, paid or volunteer.

The Boys & Girls Club is a private non-profit organization governed by a local Board of Directors. It is not a government, school or church program. It is an organization that was founded by people from Longview and Kilgore for the children of Gregg County. Although it receives guidance from a national organization, it is fully governed by the local Board of Directors. It is funded through the generocity of our donors.

The Boys & Girls Club accepts all children. The Club is a positive, fun place but it observes a strict policy of dicipline and guidance. The Club has a guidance based method of dicipline closely related to the parental method. Children are guided, encouraged and expected to behave in a proper manner. If they can not behave in an acceptable manner the the Club employs a disipline procedure which includes time out, service projects, parental involvement and suspension. The Club has a high expectation of its member and the children respond to that expectation.

Clubs are community-based organizations that provide young people with a fun, safe and constructive environment when they are not at home or school. Clubs offer programs and services designed to build character and strengthen life skills.

Boys & Girls Clubs are open to all youth ages 6 - 18 and have a special focus on children and teens from challenging or disadvantaged circumstances. Clubs reach out to children in need, giving them support, guidance and hope for the future. Clubs also keep dues low and do not turn kids away because of an inability to pay.

Clubs are in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Many Clubs are actual physical buildings designed especially for kids, with their needs and interests in mind. Other Clubs are located in a variety of settings - including public housing, U.S. military bases around the world, schools and Native American lands - to provide as many youth as possible with carefully designed Club programming tailored to local needs.

Neighborhood-centered, Clubs provide programming in specialized areas, including character development, educational enhancement and career exploration. Clubs are staffed by paid, trained youth development professionals. Through a system of informal guidance, Club staff form strong bonds with young people and help them make smart choices in life. For many Club members, Club staff are the most influential positive adult role models in ther lives.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization whose mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. The first Club was founded in 1860 and the national organization was formed in 1906. Today, there are more than 4,000 Club facilities serving some 4.8 million young people annually through membership and community outreach.

In short, Clubs serve young people and BGCA serves Clubs. BGCA provides key resources to enhance Clubs' ability to serve youth. Together, BGCA and local Clubs form the Boys & Girls Club Movement.

The national headquarters are in Atlanta. There are also five regional service centers (New York; Schaumburg, Ill.; Long Beach, Calif.; Richardson, Texas; and Atlanta) and an Office of Government Relations in Washington, D.C.

creating value for Clubs by forming partnerships with government, business and philanthropic groups; providing pass-through funding and support materials; and promoting public awareness about our mission.

The Boys & Girls Club Movement upholds the national interest. Today's boys and girls will become the mainstay of America's economy; by aiding in their positive development, all of society benefits.