By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Grow Hays is launching a pilot program to give parents a hand up as they pursue further education.
The BEACON program, which stands for Building Education and Career Opportunities at Night, will offer child care for parents while they participate in online courses.
Bright Minds is the child care sponsor for the program, and they will use their facilities at the Bob and Pat Schmidt Community Center, 2510 Canterbury in Hays.
The program will supervise infants up to children 13 years old for $5 per night. The parents must remain on site and be enrolled in an online degree completion program, college course, certification program or job training.
Hours will be 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Free high-speed internet and a quiet place to study will be offered.
James Robben of Grow Hays said the idea for the program came from his sister, a mother, who struggled to finish her degree online.
"She gave me this story that she would cook dinner, help her kids do their homework, and then after they went to bed, she would sometimes stay up until 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning to do her homework."
Robben said she also spent weekends studying and would, at other times, wake up at 5 a.m. to study and then go to work.
"I asked the President of Fort Hays State University, Tisa Mason, 'Do you still have night school?' She said, 'Yes. It's called online,'" Robben said.
Robben said online classes do not solve the problem of parents needing to care for their children and have quiet time to study.
"The [parents] can go home afterward, read a book with their kids and have family time still," Robben said. "Instead of staying up to 2 o'clock, they are going to bed at a more normal time and getting back to family basics.
"And [parents] are able to go back [to school] and better their lives as well."
The $5 per night does not cover the cost of the child care, but Robben said Bright Minds was willing to partner with the program anyway.
Robben said he has had discussions with Thomas More Prep-Marian about its students acting as tutors for service hours, and perhaps Fort Hays State University participating in some way.
"It's dedicated as a quiet space so parents can go back to school, hopefully, better their education, get a better career and get a better job. Maybe it's just getting a certificate or a GED. It's an opportunity to finish some school or go back to school."
The session for this pilot program will run through the end of the spring semester in May. Another is planned for the fall semester.
"Success for this program doesn't look like 30 people in the room working on homework. It might look like one person four years from now getting a degree and getting a better job," Robben said.
The pilot program is limited to 10 spots, but Robben said he hopes to see expansion.
"We are going to start small and learn and adapt to the challenges we haven't even thought of yet," he said.
You can sign up for the program by calling Robben at Grow Hays at 785-628-3102 or find more information on the Grow Hays Facebook page.
"If you are a parent in Ellis County looking to go back to school or you're currently enrolled and not finding it easy to get your homework done ..." Robben said. "If you need an opportunity, at least try this out. Get ahold of us.
"Look us up on Facebook. BEACON is here to help you without sacrificing your family life," Robben said.