For Kids Only Afterschool Director Updates City Council

By Barbara Taormina

Deborah Kneeland Keegan, director of For Kids Only Afterschool (FKO), met with the City Council this week to offer an overview of what her organization brings to Revere. Keegan, a former special education teacher, was one of the original cofounders of For Kids Only Afterschool back in 1984 in Winthrop. The nonprofit afterschool program offered kids a place to go after school where they could participate in enrichment programs, get help with homework, spend time with friends and be safe and warm until 5:00 p.m. when their parents came home from work.

Keegan said that during the 80s FKO was transporting kids from Revere. Former Revere Public Schools Supt. Carol Tye told the organization that Revere needed an afterschool program and FKO moved in with a contract in 1998. Today, the organization’s local program, Youth in Motion on Broadway, serves 105 Revere kids, kindergarten through grade 5, a day. Many of those children receive counselling through the program. There are also programs in Winthrop, Chelsea, Everett, and Peabody which collectively, provide an afterschool programs for about 1,600 kids.

Keegan said kids can choose an enrichment activity, such as sports, art, music or dance, while at FKO. They can also participate in group projects. Homework help is available and a library and computer room offer spaces for kids who just want some quiet time.

The FKO director said enrichment courses are taught by members of the community, and she was pleased to announce that FKO was recently awarded a state grant to pay enrichment instructors. Enrichment classes are bulked up by a behavioral health coordinator and an inclusion specialist.

Keegan stressed that the main goal of For Kids Only Afterschool is to provide a safe and steady place for vulnerable kids who would otherwise be home alone or out on the street after school. She said the program has provided assistance for families in which both parents need to work. “We are truly supporting working families,” Keegan told councillors. “We are a path to economic mobility. It’s part of our mission.”

Much of the funding for the program comes from state and federal grants. FKO recently won contracts to provide free services to any child who has an open case with the Department of Children & Families or any child from a family struggling with homelessness. Families below the poverty line can acquire a childcare voucher from the state and attend FKO for a small fee. Some families privately pay the $26 a day tuition, but there are ways to cobble together the funding for families who need afterschool childcare.

Keegan acknowledged she is concerned about the ongoing cuts in federal spending. However, she mentioned that FKO receives support from private donors and from one of the communities it serves.

Councillor-at-Large Robert Haas asked about programs for middle school kids who need a place to go every day to be safe. “That’s the need in this community,” said Keegan. “It would allow those children to thrive,” she added. But there’s not enough space on Broadway for more kids.

Councillors thanked Keegan for all her work in the city and told her to let them know what they could do to support FKO. For more information, visit fkoafterschool.org