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Plans are underway to launch ROOTS After School in Scottville on a small scale in the Fall of 2023. This launch will provide limited enrollment to students who can walk or bus to a downtown location. Scottville Elementary students will be offered first enrollment opportunities. We hope to take steps to expand the project in 2024 to serve students from all Mason County schools from a central Scottville location.
The program addresses three goals:
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Meets a child care need in Mason County for working families with school-age kids
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Connects kids to their community through service projects
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Connects kids to nature through hands-on experiences
Licensed by the State of Michigan, this program will provide the highest level of safety, quality, and engagement. As with all Wilderplay and Childhood In Nature Foundation programs, our philosophies are delivered through an experiential curriculum and a focus on relationships. The ROOTS curriculum will provide balance in the after-school hours between recreation and active community service experiences.
This program strives to realize all of the benefits of nurturing kids’ community roots while advocating for and protecting greenspaces inside the city limits. We hope to include both big and small student-lead projects such as obtaining Tree City USA status in Scottville, assisting residents who need help with lawn projects, helping to care for downtown plantings, and leading small-scale gardening projects. Our intent is to partner with city government, organizations, and businesses to provide the kind of active participation that can move projects forward in Scottville.
ROOTS is a program of the Childhood In Nature Foundation. The first phase of this program will be hosted at State & Main next door to the City of Scottville offices. Enrollment opportunities will be announced at a later date.