Some of the area teenagers who participated in The Place 2022 Summer Youth Employment Program. This fall, The Place will be offering several more teen programs, including Cooking with Kate, Intro to Photography with Jill Kraft, a fall focus group, the Story Keeper Program, and Chenango Youth Philanthropy Council. (Photo from The Place Facebook page)

CHENANGO COUNTY — Norwich-based nonprofit organization The Place is getting ready for the wide range of fall programming they will be offering this year. Programs include school-aged child care and a litany of options for county teenagers.

Child care is offered through The Place's KIDS Program, a school-aged child care program that's licensed through the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS).

The program is available to children aged five through 12, and offers both before and after school care, as well as care when schools are on vacation or running on a half-day schedule.

Snacks and meals are provided to children enrolled in the KIDS Program, and while at The Place they will also receive homework help; participate in learning activities; enjoy visits from outside educators such as 4H, Eat Smart New York, and the Chenango County Historical Society; do arts and crafts; play games; and have opportunities to play outside on The Place's playground and basketball court.

There are 75 total slots available for the KIDS Program, and registration information can be found online at ThePlaceNorwich.com. Financial assistance and scholarship programs are also available.

"We work with families who receive child care assistance through the Department of Social Services, and actually the state just increased household income guidelines. So many families who were not eligible prior to August 1 may very well be eligible," said The Place Executive Director Sharon Vesely. "And then we do have a scholarship program for families who are still in need but beyond the guidelines from the Department of Social Services."

More information on OCFS assistance and eligibility guidelines can be found at ocfs.ny.gov/programs/childcare/ccap. For more information on scholarships available through The Place, contact Vesely at 607-336-9696 ext. 103.

For teenagers, The Place will have several free program opportunities this fall. The season will kick off with a teen movie night on Monday, September 12 at The Place, located at 22 East Main Street in Norwich.

Following the movie night will be a free, six-week cooking class called "Cooking with Kate," beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 21. The Cottage Bakery owner Kate Tefft will teach Chenango County teens aged 13 to 19 the ins and outs of beginner cooking at The Place, with the class concluding on Wednesday, October 26.

The Place is also partnering with local photographer Jill Kraft to teach creative teens the art of photography. The free, introductory class will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, October 7 at The Place, and run for six weeks.

Space is limited for both series. Links to register can be found on The Place Facebook page. For more information on the programs, contact Teen Program Coordinator Julie Dealing at 607-336-9696 ext. 109 or via email at teenprogram@theplacenorwich.com.

In addition to learning new skills, Chenango County teens will also have the opportunity to get more involved in the community through several other programs at The Place. On Thursday, September 22, Dealing will be holding a teen focus group at The Place.

"What Julie [Dealing], the coordinator for that program, is hoping to gain from having that focus group is that participating teens have input on the direction that they’d like to see activities go in, and provided for them. It would also just be an open forum for any conversation that teens might want to lead that discussion into," said Vesely. "We’re really looking for the teen program to be a youth-driven organization."

Expected to begin in late September or early October is the Story Keeper Program, where local teens can expand their writing abilities and learn interviewing skills by meeting with Chenango County seniors.

"That is for teens who are looking to expand their writing skills and building relationships with older generations here in our community," said Vesely. "By the end of that program the teens would be documenting the seniors’ life story, or part of their story."

Beginning around mid-October will also be the start of the Chenango Youth Philanthropy Council (CYPC). Students from the Norwich, Unadilla Valley, and Sherburne-Earlville School Districts are eligible to participate, and they will learn about community needs and nonprofits in the county.

Chenango Youth Philanthropy Council serves as a way for students to truly get involved in their community and make an impact, while also learning valuable leadership and teamwork skills.

"There’s various needs assessments that other organizations have put out recently. So the group takes a look at those, finds out the needs of the community, takes an in-depth look at that," Vesely explained. "We have guest speakers come in and talk about different needs, different nonprofits coming in to talk about their program specifically. We work on leadership skills, youth go in and spend time sitting on different boards of directors for nonprofits in the county, so that’s a great experience."

After the December break, students will return to work on a request for proposals (RFP) that will be made available to area nonprofits, who can then apply for funding from the Chenango Youth Philanthropy Council.

" Youth Philanthropy Council has been with our program since 2014. In that period of time, Youth Philanthropy Council has awarded just about $55,000 to nonprofits in the county. So they do a lot of good work," Vesely said. "They participate in so many philanthropic endeavors in the county, it’s unbelievable, and they’re high schoolers that do this."

She added they're also looking to change things up this year, possibly by adding a nonprofit showcase evening in which local nonprofits can table the event to teach area residents about what they have to offer. The event would also serve as a way for CYPC members to learn about the different organizations in the area, and select ones they may want to work with during their time on the council.

For more information on CYPC, students and parents can contact Youth Services Coordinator Breanne Heath at 607-336-9696 ext. 106, or any academic advisor for their school district.

For two more days, The Place will be providing free school supplies for area students. Notebooks, paper, pencils, binders, and more will be available from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 6 and Wednesday, September 7 at The Place, or while supplies last.

More information on The Place and their upcoming programs can be found at ThePlaceNorwich.com or on The Place Facebook page.