SUCKER GARDEN--No Kidding with Our Kids Foundation is an after school care programme established on February 12, 1996, for underprivileged children aged 4 to 14. The After School Activities (ASA) caters to children whose parents do not have the time or means to give them positive attention they need after school hours. Director Merlyn Schaminee-Miguel told The Daily Herald that she is happy to have been involved with the project from the beginning.
The foundation hosted a pancake festival on Friday afternoon at the Lions club building in Sucker Garden. Seven staff members were recognized for working for 12 to 16 years for the programme. While three others worked the full 20 years. Funtopia provided entertainment for the children while parents and well-wishers came to get free pancakes prepared by the children under the supervision of the teachers.
“We started in different catholic schools and homes in 1996. Due to demand we moved to several locations in 2002, including the Lions building in Sucker Garden. The programme is from 1:00pm to 6:00pm and offers different programmes such as Dutch Classes, Cooking classes and much more,” said the director. ASA provides the youngsters with a daily hot lunch, healthy snacks, homework guidance by certified teachers and more, including many extracurricular activities, all to enhance their development on social, creative, and recreational levels.
The programme plans to expand with budget classes for parents. There are ongoing Dutch classes for parents and children who have trouble comprehending the language.
“St. Maarten is a melting pot of cultures and most of the time parents want to let their children attend Dutch public schools and these classes help them understand the Dutch language. The classes are twice a week. What is also going good is our cooking classes on Saturdays. This is where a mother or father and their teenager bond by taking fun cooking classes offered by the programme,” said Schaminee-Miguel.
The children are able to sit in an outdoor shaded area for discussions, reading sessions and other activities. This will not only benefit the children to participate in a more concentrated and focused manner, but it also gives them the opportunity to enjoy being outdoors instead of always being inside according to the foundation. No Kidding with our Kids Foundation has a total of 135 pupils attending their after school programme with different activities and projects such as painting, cooking, reading and drawing. The afterschool programme started after the suggestion of former Acting Lt. Governor Mathias Voges to Merlyn Schaminee-Miguel who was working in Curaçao at the time. She was convinced to come to the island and start with the programme.
Several classes given by the No Kidding with Our Kids Foundation is funded by Cooperating Funds (Samenwerkende fondsen) and the St. Maarten Development fund. The director thanked the parents and children that contributed to the success of the programme for the past 20 years.
