The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON – Kids in Dayton are spending their weekdays having fun with their friends, while also learning, at Blue Mountain Counseling's Summer Recreation Program.

The program, headed by Prevention Coordinators Laura Tolman and Jennifer Price, has signed up 85 kids so far, and more parents have asked about signing their kids up in the coming weeks, according to Tolman.

The day starts at 7:30 a.m., when kids can attend free breakfast in the Dayton Elementary School Multipurpose Room. The meal, which is free to anyone under 18, is attended by some of the children as well as counselors.

Following breakfast, various daily activities begin. The classes and activities are run by the 12 counselors, including a head counselor and co-head counselor. Most of the counselors are high school or college-aged kids, although there are adults that help.

The activities focus on two main things: providing a way for kids to have fun during the summer months, as well as helping kids learn life skills and reinforcing things they learned in school. Some Dayton teachers help out by teaching during select days.

Some of the non-traditional class subjects taught include classes on life skills, problem solving and positive actions. These classes are meant to teach self-respect and helpfulness in the kids from an early age, and kids can earn coins they later turn in for prizes for acting in positive ways.

"If you are positive about things, you can face problems and not get sucked under by them. That's what we want to teach the kids," Tolman said.

On top of these classes, there is a daily class called Art of Language that focuses on foreign nations and cultures. The class is meant to teach inclusiveness and positivity about people of other cultures and nations.

"The goal of AOL is to teach cultural tolerance, as well to educate them on different cultures and countries. It's like taking a trip through another country like a kid there would, then we ask the kids if they would ever want to go," Tolman explained.

This class takes in groups, while the other half of participants are taking part in physical education-style classes. Once a week, Dave Lybbert from The Karate Center in Walla Walla comes to teach kids basic karate skills.

Everyday around 2 p.m., the children are given the chance to go to the Dayton City Pool for an hour and a half. The program has taken anywhere from 30 to 50 kids each day so far this summer.

Fridays are usually different around Summer Rec, as the kids get to participate in fun games and movies. They can go to matinee showings at the Liberty Theater, and may be given private showings of new movies soon. Fridays also see the kids break into two groups: one plays board games and other fun activities, while the other goes to the Dayton Memorial Library to read and take AR tests for school.

"On Fridays, we kind of switch it up," Tolman said.

The day ends at 5 p.m. for the kids, when parents are supposed to pick them up. This is the only time an issue has really came up, as parents sometimes forget a required form of ID needed to check-out their kids from the program, according to Tolman.

Ian Smay

Children are intent while learning about the Tibetan Plateau in the "Art of Language Class" which introduces students to other cultures and nations.

The program is scheduled to end on July 28th. Tolman said that they currently plan to have a year-end barbecue in the Dayton City Park, as they did last year. The barbecue is open to participants and their families, and Tolman uses it as an opportunity to celebrate the summer and pass out parental surveys.

These surveys gauge how the parents and families liked the summer program and ask if anything could be done differently to improve the experience. However, Tolman says that the responses have always been positive, and sometimes even surprising.

"One of the most shocking responses was when we had a few kids tell their parents that they liked the life skills class," Tolman said.

Summer Rec is run by Blue Mountain Counselling, with cooperation with Dayton School District. The program receives help from the state of Washington. More information on Dayton's Summer Rec Program can be obtained from Laura Tolman at 509-629-0314, or from the BMC office at 509-382-6641.