WILLMAR -- Willmar's Child Guide Program is in the middle of a reorganization effort that should result in a self-sustaining program.
The Willmar School Board received an update on the changes in the program at its meeting Tuesday.
Willmar was one of the first districts to have such a program, said Superintendent Kathy Leedom.
Child guides work in the schools and are available to help students with their needs outside class.
Their work covers a wide range, from finding donated sports equipment for children to helping them get involved in school clubs.
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When it started in the mid-1990s, the program received state funding, but that ended after several years. Funding from United Way of Kandiyohi County and the Pact 4 Families Collaborative kept it going, but the Pact 4 funding has been reduced in recent years. The school district has provided office space and other in-kind assistance, but has not provided funding for the program.
Linda Bahe, the Jefferson Elementary dean of students and the Child Guide coordinator, said the need for the program has increased over the years while the number of people working in it has declined.
This year the program had enough grant money to operate through March, Bahe said. A grant from the Bremer Foundation gave them enough money to finish the school year and to hire a facilitator to help restructure the program.
The program now has an advisory board which will be looking for a way to develop long-range funding sources in the community.
The program has a lot of community support. It was one of the programs highlighted when Willmar was named an All-America City in 2005.
For the coming year, the program has a $46,000 grant from United Way and will use funding from the SHARE Program, a state program called Supporting Healthy and Respectful Environments. Deb Kleven, a liaison with the SHARE program will work next year as a Child Guide, Bahe said.
Bahe said the School Board would receive more updates as the advisory board develops its plans.
The board voted to approve the advisory board's by-laws and to have one School Board member act as a liaison to the advisory board.
