Pueblo Boys and Girls Club celebrates opening of first clubhouse in Pueblo West
Boys and Girls Clubs of Pueblo County celebrated the opening of its first Pueblo West clubhouse Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Prairie Winds Elementary School, 579 E. Earl Drive.
The Prairie Winds Clubhouse began serving families in Pueblo West on June 10. After briefly closing on July 25, the clubhouse reopened for the fall school year on Aug. 10.
Prairie Winds is the neighborhood elementary school for most Pueblo West residents living north of U.S. Highway 50. With several parents of Prairie Winds students commuting to Colorado Springs and into Pueblo city limits for work, a clubhouse was much needed, Principal Brenda Leyh said.
"Specifically on the north side of (U.S. Highway 50), we are limited with the amount of daycare opportunities for our families, especially for our military families ... The hours of school don't always allow them to be able to pick up their kiddos right after school is out," Leyh said.
At the Prairie Winds Clubhouse, children can participate in physical activities in the gymnasium, spend time outdoors, receive tutoring, take field trips and engage in creative arts activities. With the holidays approaching, clubhouse staff have collected several milk cartons for children to make gingerbread houses, Leyh said.
Any student who attends Prairie Winds can participate in after-school programming, said Angela Giron, president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Pueblo County. When there is open space, any student who attends an elementary school in Pueblo West is welcome to participate in activities at the clubhouse.
"We have the capacity to serve between 50 and 60," Giron said. "Many days we are at that and maybe a little bit more ... Some kids need us three days a week. Some only need us on Friday. Some don't need us Friday, but they need us Monday through Thursday. It's all the different needs that every individual family has."
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As programming is primarily geared toward elementary school students, the clubhouse currently accepts children from 6 years old through fifth grade. Other clubhouses, including the Avondale Clubhouse, East Side Clubhouse and Sprague Clubhouse, serve students up to 18 years of age. The Ray Aguilera Teen Clubhouse at Central High School exclusively serves high school students.
"Many clubs in the city, they serve ages 6 through 18," Giron said. "That's what we would like every clubhouse to be because our high school kids need us as much as our elementary schools — just in a very different way."
Kylie Pickarts serves as the director of the Prairie Winds Clubhouse. She began working with Boys and Girls Clubs of Pueblo County in 2019 and was previously director of the Irving Clubhouse. She has led several programs including the Crazy 8's math, Healthy Habits, Positive Action, Science Explorers, SMART kids and STEM programs.
The clubhouse offers after school programming for elementary-aged children from 3-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Fridays. During the summer, programs are offered from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Boys and Girls Club of Pueblo County opens first Pueblo West clubhouse
