BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer
NORTH BRUNSWICK – Over 300 students had a LEAL good time at an end-of-the-year picnic at Babbage Park on Friday.
Members of the Extended Leisure and Learning Alternative program (LEAL) celebrated the Wild, Wild West with games, rides, music, a barbecue and snacks.
“This celebrates the end of the school year and kicks off their summer,” said Giovanna Branciforte, the LEAL coordinator and the Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Services Recreation program specialist.
LEAL is an after-school program for grades K-6 that provides an alternative for students to staying at home while their parents are working. Instituted in 1983 as a safe haven for kids, the club offers socialization, homework help, enrichment courses and arts and crafts.
“They can have a good time and relax after school. A hard day at school is like a hard day at work, so here they can enjoy afternoon activities,” Branciforte said. “The kids enjoy themselves. They have fun coming to LEAL. They have a safe place to be.”
The programs are held from the end of the school day until 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
“We’re always having fun,” second-grader Eric Reardon said. A student at Livingston Park Elementary School, he enjoys playing games and playing with his friends.
“They take us on trips and they give us ice cream. They let us play with toys. They let us have snacks and they let us lay down. They let us do everything our parents lets us do,” Judd Elementary School kindergartner Danielle Simon said.
In addition to the recreational activities such as painting, playing in the park and going on water slides, she also enjoyed the science experiments this year.
“Once we took strong ice and put it into hot water and it steamed out,” she said.
The children also realize the importance of having alternate activities available as opposed to staying alone after school or possibly getting in trouble if out on the streets.
“You don’t have to sit at home. You’re allowed to play around and laugh with your friends,” Judd Elementary School fifth-grader Alexis Holliman said. “You get to paint, go to the gym, go outside and play around with the counselors. You get to play basketball and hang out with your friends.”
“You learn how to be friendly and you learn how to be nice and you learn everything grownups wants you to do,” Simon added.
However, spending time at home with the family is equally as important.
“If they could be at home with mom or dad or be at home with grandma, that would be wonderful. But here they get to socialize with kids their own age in a class or not in class, and they get a little bit of camaraderie,” Branciforte said.
The self-supporting program provided its own food and entertainment for the celebration. Branciforte, Dawnmarie Sannwaldt and Amanda Applegate coordinated the picnic. Greg Kikelhan, Wayne Kuberiet and Jimmy Tracey assisted with the set-up and barbecuing. Jon Watson provided the music.
Parents interested in registering their children for LEAL may contact Branciforte at (732) 247-0922, ext. 475, or their appropriate schools.