Sleepy Hollow After-School Program Gets Going

SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. – The Morse After-School Program has been working out fairly well since its reinstatement, said Robin Pell, Sleepy Hollow’s recreation supervisor.

“The location has been great,” Pell said. “The upgrades that they did to the playground have been really nice. The kids are really enjoying that.”

Pell gave an update on the program during a recent Board of Trustees meeting. Pell said 34 kids from Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown were currently enrolled in the village-run program. A couple of parents want to enroll their kids in the program, but they're also checking out different programs in the area, Pell said.

Some children have been taken out of the program since it was reinstated because their parents had job changes and couldn't afford it. Others have chosen not to enroll all of their children in the program because of the expense, Pell said.

In the reinstated program, Sleepy Hollow residents pay $190 per child per month. Tarrytown residents pay $275 per child per month.

“I think we're kind of set at the 34,” Pell said, noting that the program was also down one employee.

The program has raised money. Recreation officials have gotten sponsorships for some of the children in the program to help cover the additional costs since the reinstatement. During the Sleepy Hollow Street Fair, Pell said the recreation department raised $440 for the program.

Pell also noted that Tarrytown was looking into covering some of the fees for its residents in the program. Pell was unsure of the amount Tarrytown would be contributing.

“They are working out those numbers, so that will free up some sponsorship money for Sleepy Hollow residents,” she said.

Trustees did take issue over the fact that some parents had given checks directly to Pell instead of paying at Village Hall. Trustee Bruce Campbell stressed that the board had passed a resolution that explicitly stated parents had to pay at Village Hall because trustees wanted to be sure the accounting would be correct.

Pell told trustees that it wasn't easy to get parents to Village Hall because many don't come to pick up their kids until after Village Hall closes at 4:30 p.m. Pell and Village Treasurer Sara DiGiacomo have been encouraging parents to pay by credit card, which can be done remotely.

 

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