The educational after-school and summer programs that have served the Valle Lindo community for several years will close at the end of May.
The programs take place in the community center in the Valle Lindo neighborhood, 133 Farmland Road, south of Walla Walla. They are administered by Akin, formerly the Children’s Home Society.
Shawniene Bingham, southeast regional director for Akin, declined to provide any specifics about why the programs are closing and whether it resulted in any staff layoffs.
“We have encountered challenges in maintaining the quality and consistency of our operations in Valle Lindo, which led to our decision,” Bingham said.
The two programs were free to children who live in Valle Lindo, which is a community for farmworkers and their families. As of December, there were about 30 children in the after-school program.
“Families were given more than 30 days’ notice, and our focus is on ensuring a smooth transition and minimizing the disruption of services,” Bingham said. “We are committed to supporting families through this transition and can assist in exploring opportunities to collaborate with them for additional supports and services through Akin at our Family Resource Center in Walla Walla, as well as other local partners to transition services.”
Akin also offers Early Head Start, which is a free early learning and development program. That program was not affected, Bingham said, and is still available to Valle Lindo families.
“Akin will still remain present in the Valle Lindo community, offering family navigation services out of the community center,” Bingham said. “We also have Early Head Start home educators that are providing services to families in the Valle Lindo community.”
She said Akin was working with the school district to make sure Valle Lindo families have information about other summer programs.
All families still have access to Akin’s resource center, 1612 Penny Lane in Walla Walla, which offers services such as a food pantry, financial assistance and access to household supplies.
The final day of Akin’s after-school program is Thursday, May 29.
Loryn Kykendall reports on health care and education. She can be reached at lkykendall@wwub.com.