The Boys and Girls Club of Manhattan has opened their brand new Early Learning Center on Dempsey Lane. The former Hope Lutheran Church will significantly enhance the services offered by the club. The new facility sits on twelve acres and spans approximately 12,000 square feet, accommodating up to 156 children, with this state-of-the-art daycare facility that recently saw over $100,000 in renovations.
While the club has always supported children from ages five through graduation, CEO, Hannah Coash-Frye, and Chief Development Officer, Brady Armstrong, have long considered expanding their services to include infants. This approach will provide parents with peace of mind through comprehensive care from "Diapers to Graduation." "It had always kind of been in the back of our heads as an option," Coash-Frye explains. "When the Hope Facility decided to close down, we got brought in back in February to look into it. After many discussions with our board, we decided that it was a good avenue to impact more kids and catch families even earlier in the process."
Currently, the Boys & Girls Club of Manhattan serves over 1,300 youth from kindergarten through 12th grade. Focused on its mission of empowering young people, particularly students who need the most support, to reach their full potential, the organization offers engaging before and after school programs, as well as summer activities, centered on developing students into healthy, responsible, empathetic, and productive citizens. The club’s programming is based on its three pillars of youth development: healthy lifestyles, academic success, and character development. By providing adult mentors and a nurturing environment, the Boys and Girls Club seeks to foster growth and opportunity.
With the addition of the new facility, the club will be able to extend its reach even further. Board President Emily Wehling, a parent herself, expresses her excitement: "As a parent of young children, I see the impact that childcare providers make in educating and shaping the lives of young children. I am thrilled that the Boys & Girls Club of Manhattan will be able to expand into these services and continue to positively impact the youth in our community!"
The club's mission extends beyond just helping children; they aim to support families as a whole. The organization plans to offer additional parenting classes. Coash-Frye elaborates, "We’ll provide financial literacy classes for parents, Parenting 101, and behavior management courses. It’s a way to engage parents differently, offering support if they’re struggling with behaviors at home."
Although over $200,000 is needed for security and playground improvements, the club has plans to fundraise and secure grants. These plans include events such as an adult Casino Night and the popular annual Duck Dash. Coash-Frye is particularly excited to meet with corporate and individual donors to spearhead their fundraising efforts. "I think it’ll be really important to keep our fees reasonable for the families attending out there," Coash-Frye says. "[We’ll] continue to apply for grant funding and then look for some of those corporate and individual sponsors too, to really get on board with that project and be excited about it.”
The operating costs are significant, with an annual $1.5 million needed to run the new location, and $3 million required for all locations in Manhattan. "It adds up fast," Armstrong acknowledged, "but the kids are worth it, and we want them to come into a nice, clean, safe, and comfortable environment."
If you would like to support The Boys & Girls Club of Manhattan, volunteer, or enroll in their services, please visit bgclubmanhattan.com. To apply for a daycare spot in the Early Learning Center, visit bgclubmanhattan.com/earlylearningcenter. You may also visit in person at 3560 Dempsey Road, Manhattan, KS, between 7am and 6pm.