The Peachtree City Recreation Department will soon be offering after-school programming for middle school age students at the Glenloch recreation center.

The center is located with a short walk of Booth Middle School, which is seen as a plus for the program. The main focus is to help “latchkey kids” who go home unsupervised for several hours before their parents arrive from work, officials said.

Art Sivertsen, who works with youth programs for the recreation department, said the plan is for the kids to be active after school playing sports such as tennis, soccer and flag football, all of which can be done on-site. They will also get help with their homework and mentoring from high school-age volunteers.

Sivertsen said he wasn’t yet sure how much it will cost to get the program up and running, but he figured the city would need to charge participants to make it cost-neutral.

Councilwoman Judi-ann Rutherford said not all families might be able to afford a fee, and possibly a scholarship program could be used to cover the costs of such children.

This will address a gap in the department’s programs, few of which address the “tween” age of 11-15 year olds, Gaddo said. It also is targeted at kids who don’t play organized sports or have other after school activities.

Plans are for the program to run between 3 and 7 p.m.

There may be a need to remodel the inside of the Glenloch center in the near future, Gaddo said, adding that neighbors in the area seem to be supporting the idea because it will help improve their community.

The vulnerability and impressionability of middle school age students was a major concern shared at a recent meeting of high school students involved in the Youth Council Serving Fayette County.

Several students also said that parents need to be more strict with their children instead of approving the use of alcohol.

Along those lines, Rutherford said last week that some parents think just because their child is involved in sports that they’re not in trouble.

“That’s not necessarily true,” Rutherford said.

The youth council is likely to be involved in supplying the mentors for the after school program.

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