The city of Madras has 21.8% of the population living below the poverty level (19.8% in Jefferson County) and the Median household income is $38,934. Just over three-fourths of school children qualify for free or reduced lunch. Every day, the children in Madras face the problems of persistent poverty in Jefferson County, and many also face language barriers.
Studies confirm that active indoor and outdoor play is vastly important for kids’ mental and physical health. And informal team or individual sports play allows for free, self-directed, outdoor recreation for our kids. Sports also allow kids to learn coordination and balance, builds muscle, and burns calories – keeping our kids healthy and providing exercise. Active play also promotes emotional well-being and team-building skills while teaching kids to learn how to work with others.
Parents in Jefferson County struggle to have time to create opportunities for play, supervise that play, or get kids to these various activities. In this relentlessly poverty-stricken area of central Oregon, those parents are busy trying to earn a living, often with several jobs pasted together, to pay the rent and put food on the table.
"Before we had the bus and financial assistance, it would limit who could go on the field trip and who couldn’t. It would create tension among the kids and it would affect the overall mood of the kids."
The COHC-funded bus holds up to 54 kids. This increased transportation capacity, in conjunction with continued use of the two vans, has improved accessibility to Kids Club activities such as physically active programming and day trips that take place outside of Madras.
We found that the Kids Club bus:
•transported many kids on different types of field trips;
•gave young people a chance to participate in physical activity opportunities; and
•increased the number of young people who could access physical activity opportunities
•transported many kids on different types of field trips;
•gave young people a chance to participate in physical activity opportunities; and
•increased the number of young people who could access physical activity opportunities
We also found that the Kids Club bus:
•took young people to places they wouldn’t normally get to experience;
•alleviated staff burden;
•opened the door for other opportunities, such as allowing for multiple trips on the same day and allowing our middle school program (teen center) to use the existing Kids Club vans; and
•removed the financial barriers for our families to access the programs and services of Kids Club.
•alleviated staff burden;
•opened the door for other opportunities, such as allowing for multiple trips on the same day and allowing our middle school program (teen center) to use the existing Kids Club vans; and
•removed the financial barriers for our families to access the programs and services of Kids Club.
Access to these programs:
•provide a safe, constructive environment for kids when they are not at home or in school;
•play an important role in providing a safe space to exercise, compete in team sports, establish lifelong friendships, and avoid risky behaviors;
•help teens graduate from high school prepared for a great future–our teen programs, homework help, tutoring, and educational enrichment are designed to support young people’s academic success;
•foster good character and citizenship;
•help removes barriers so that families can live successful lives.
•provide a safe, constructive environment for kids when they are not at home or in school;
•play an important role in providing a safe space to exercise, compete in team sports, establish lifelong friendships, and avoid risky behaviors;
•help teens graduate from high school prepared for a great future–our teen programs, homework help, tutoring, and educational enrichment are designed to support young people’s academic success;
•foster good character and citizenship;
•help removes barriers so that families can live successful lives.
Providing financial assistance to the Kids Club programs has removed barriers for our family and provided opportunities our kids would not have had access to without the scholarship funds.
The bus helps us serve the kids better because they are able to get physical activity 5 days a week, and the amount of kids that we are able to take per trip helps them come together, build relationships with their peers. For the health of the kids overall, it keeps them active.
Not only did the bus take the kids to many different locations, but many of these trips (73%) involved some sort of physical activity.
This increased transportation capacity, in conjunction with continued use of the two vans, has improved accessibility to Kids Club activities such as physically active programming and day trips that take place outside of Madras.