New director takes lead at T-burg After School

After two years of sending her son to the Trumansburg After School Program (TASP), Jennie Mayo is preparing to do so again this year.

“I love the close-knit family nature of the program. They know my child well, and he loves the staff,” she said. “TASP is a caring, supportive and loving program and a wonderful part of the T-burg community.”

Now entering its 36th year, TASP will have its first new director in 18 years. Lisa Collins, who started leading TASP in 2003, retired in July, handing the reins to Carol Bobertz.

Bobertz is a certified teacher, with 25 years of experience teaching in schools and 11 years of homeschooling her children. Previously part of TASP, she had taken a leave of absence from it last year due to coronavirus concerns but is happy to be back with the students taking part in the program.

“When Lisa [Collins] announced her retirement and I was asked to take on this role, I was pleased to be able to help as long as I was able to work directly with the children and not just do paperwork,” Bobertz said. “I know the paperwork is necessary, but what truly keeps me going is spending time with kids.”

Collins said her last year as director was special because she was working directly with students daily, as opposed to only directing other staff and handling the paperwork.

“Children and families in Trumansburg are amazing,” she said. “For me to end this way, being with the kids for the whole year, was special.”

Collins called Bobertz “an amazing woman” who “loves the children, has standards for good behavior and maintains that in a nice, respectful way with the children.” She added that Bobertz has a special education degree and was previously head of TASP’s elementary school program.

“[Bobertz] has a nice sense of the developmentally correct things for kids to stretch and expand their knowledge,” Collins said.

Bobertz said the program’s “main goal is to provide a safe, relaxed environment where all children feel like they belong.” TASP programming is STEAM-themed — activities incorporate science, technology, engineering, arts and math — and designed to meet students’ individual needs.

“Luckily, just about everything kids like to do can tie in there somewhere,” Bobertz said. “We offer a variety of activities from which children can choose, including a daily project. We try to provide lots of options. We want children to be able to explore their own interests, while at the same time gaining exposure to new activities. Once we get to know the children and their interests, we tailor our plans to fit their needs. This year, we also have an enrichment grant for additional activities with outside programs coming in.”

She said all TASP staff members are vaccinated against COVID-19, temperatures and health checks are taken daily for students and staff, and everyone is required to wear a mask inside and out, except during snack time.

“At TASP, we take COVID-19 very seriously and believe that it is our responsibility, as adults, to do all we can to keep children safe,” Bobertz said. “While they are eating, we have sneeze guards between children, and we have children spread out as much as possible while still allowing them to have social interaction.”

In addition, each student has an individual bin for their materials to reduce the sharing of markers, crayons, scissors and other items. The program has also purchased air purifiers and UV lights — which are only used when students are not in the space — for all the rooms it uses. Parents are asked to ring the doorbell and wait outside to pick up their children.

“TASP has taken COVID very seriously and has had stringent protocols,” Mayo said. “I appreciate that very much.”

Those protocols will remain in place until health guidelines change.

“Like everyone else, we pay close attention to health information and guidelines provided by state and local sources,” Bobertz said. “This includes health departments, the state education department and the Office of Children and Family Services. We anticipate that our protocols will remain in place until we receive additional information from those sources.”

The program had previously been run on the Trumansburg Central School District campus but moved to the chapel of First Presbyterian Church of Ulysses, located at 69 E. Main St., last year.

“I was nervous about the move, but it turned out to be a great move,” Mayo said. “The kids get some exercise each day and have a space to call their own. There are outside opportunities, which they love, and space to be creative.”

Bobertz said program staff meets Trumansburg students near the playground where they are dismissed by their teachers. She said parents are asked for permission for TASP to coordinate with school staff as needed.

For more information about TASP, contact Bobertz at Trumansburg After School Program, P.O. Box 662, Trumansburg, NY 14886, (607) 387-4841 or carol@trumansburgafterschoolprogram.org, or visit trumansburgafterschoolprogram.org.

Have Trumansburg-area news? Contact Rob Montana at rob.j.montana@gmail.com.