Fridays can still be days to learn

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Fact Box

Furlough Friday Programs

Call to inquire about snacks, lunch and early drop-off and late pick-up times. This list reflects programs that provided information to The Maui News by Tuesday afternoon.

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* Who: Christ the King School

* What: Furlough Friday classroom instruction for 2nd- through 6th-graders; and a program for kindergartners and 1st-graders

* When: 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (campus opens at 7:15 a.m.); after-school program from 1:45 to 5:30 p.m.; all furlough days, except Feb. 5

* For: Kindergarten through 6th grade

* Location: Christ the King School campus, Kahului

* Cost: $30 per day; $40 for school day and after-school program

* Information: Registration begins Friday. Call 877-6618

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* Who: Hawai'i Nature Center

* What: "Fantastic Fridays"

* When: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., all furlough Fridays

* For: ages 5 to 18

* Location: Hawai'i Nature Center, Iao Valley

* Cost: $35 per day

* Information: Call Maui Program Manager Jay Franey, 244-6500, ext. 22; or send e-mail to BookMaui@HawaiiNatureCenter.org; or see the center's Web site at www.HawaiiNatureCenterMaui.yolasite.com

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* Who: Hui Malama Learning Center

* What: Furlough Friday academic services

* When: 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., every furlough Friday

* For: 4th- through 8th-graders

* Location: Hui Malama Learning Center, Wailuku

* Cost: $15 per day

* Information: Call 244-5911 or see www.mauihui.org

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* Who: Kihei Youth Center

* What: Furlough Fridays program

* When: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., every furlough Friday

* For: ages 8 to 18

* Location: Kihei

* Cost: Membership costs $10 per child for the first year; $5 for the second year

* Information: 879-8698

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* Who: Maui Academy of Performing Arts

* What: "Furlough Fridays Drama Camps"

* When: 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., all furlough Fridays

* For: ages 5 to 10

* Locations: MAPA studio, Wailuku; MAPA new studio at Kahana Gateway Shopping Center

* Cost: $40 per day

* Information: Download registration forms at www.mauiacademy.org; questions, call Carolyn Wright, 244-8760, ext. 221; or send e-mail to carolyn@mauiacademy.org

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* Who: Maui Family YMCA

* What: Adventure Days and Junior Counselor program

* When: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., all furlough Fridays

* For: Adventure Days, ages 4 to 13; Junior Counselors, ages 14 to 16

* Locations: Maui Family YMCA, Pomaikai Elementary School, Kihei Elementary School and Haiku Elementary School

* Cost: ages 4 to 13, $20 per day for members, $40 for nonmembers; ages 14 to 16, $5 members, $10 nonmembers

* Information: Maui Family YMCA, 242-9007; Pomaikai A-Plus, 873-3404; Haiku A-Plus, 575-3006; Kihei A-Plus, 875-6822

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* Who: Pacific Whale Foundation

* What: "Furlough Fridays Ocean Discovery Camp"

* When: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., all furlough Fridays

* For: ages 5 to 12

* Location: PWF Ocean Discovery Center, Maalaea

* Cost: $56 per day; members pay $44.80

* Information: See: www.pacificwhale.org or call 249-8811, ext. 1

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* Who: Test Success Hawaii

* What: Live and interactive online SAT & college prep program

* When: Oct. 23

* For: ages 14 to 18

* Location: child will use his or her own computer at home

* Cost: $50

* Information: Call Toni Shortsleeve, (808) 394-8378 or see www.testsuccesshawaii.com

WAILUKU - Drama classes, nature education, swimming activities and SAT test preparation are just some of the programs being offered to Maui students as public schools shut down on certain Fridays while teachers take mandatory days off.

After teachers last week accepted taking 17 furlough days per school year to help close the state's projected budget shortfall, groups such as the Maui Academy of Performing Arts, Hawai'i Nature Center and Christ the King School, hurried to put together programs for students who'd otherwise be left idle on those days.

Carolyn Wright, MAPA programs director and a parent of a 5th-grader at Pomaikai Elementary School, said she wondered where she would put her child on furlough Fridays and found an answer at her workplace in Wailuku.

"All my friends with kids in elementary school are stressing about what to do," she said. "They need a safe, nurturing place for their kids to be while they're at work. I figured MAPA could help."

Wright said she knows public schools won't be replaced by programs offered by MAPA and others, but at least they can try and make a dent.

The academy will offer drama camps that feature games, imaginative character explorations and dramatic storytelling.

At Christ the King School in Kahului, public school students will be able to receive classroom instruction on furlough Fridays, said Principal Bernadette Lopez.

Although preference will be given to children of parishioners, she said, all students are welcome to apply for 10 spots each in classrooms from grades 2 through 6.

Public school students will be "integrated" into what Christ the King students are learning, and their skill levels will be assessed, she said.

Students will receive religion education, and lunch will be offered at an extra cost, Lopez said.

The initiative is one of the ways Father Efren Tomas, Christ the King's pastor, is reaching out to his parishioners and members of the community who are coping with the tough economy and who now need to find child care on some Fridays, she said.

In the church hall, kindergartners and 1st-graders will also be offered a program on furlough days, Lopez said.

If parents still don't know what to do with their children or want them cared for by a licensed home child care provider, they can call the Maui PATCH (Parents Attentive to Children) office at 242-9232.

Ailina Laborte, the PATCH Maui coordinator, said PATCH is the only statewide referral agency for licensed child care providers. The agency has a contract with the state Department of Human Services to have resources and handle referrals for parents seeking child care.

Although programs such as the Maui Family YMCA and Kama'aina Kids fall in a separate category from those on their referral list, Laborte said, the agency can also give information on those programs, although parents should specify that they are looking for child care on furlough Fridays.

On Tuesday morning, Laborte said PATCH officials haven't received calls from anyone seeking child care on furlough days, but she suggested that such inquiries be made as soon as possible.

"They tend to wait to the last minute and sports are gone," she said.

The Pacific Whale Foundation will have hands-on learning programs about the ocean, with programs that include science experiments and projects, arts and crafts, field trips, and vocabulary development and language arts. There will be different marine life themes for each furlough day.

The Hawai'i Nature Center will provide nature-based games and crafts for young children and outdoor learning and community service projects on the center's 35-acre Iao Valley property for older youths.

There also will be assistance with homework.

Hui Malama Learning Center will also provide homework help and tutoring for language arts, reading, math, science and social studies.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@ mauinews.com.