More than two hundred students spend their mornings and afternoons at DON’s Den, a before and afterschool program serving Doniphan, Missouri.
DON’s Den runs throughout most of the year. It only closes for a few weeks during the summer and remains available for students throughout holiday breaks and the rest of the year.
The program has been directed by Stacey Ritter, who grew up in Doniphan, since she retired after 28 years of teaching in the district.
“At the afterschool program, the students are more relaxed,” Ritter said. “You’re learning, but you may be cooking something to learn about fractions and measurement. Whereas in a typical school day, you’re sitting behind a desk and in a chair having to be quiet, being taught those things.”
The day starts with slightly less structured time to spend on crafts or other activities. In the afternoons, students are divided up by grade level and introduced to new activities in technology and STEAM. Homework help is always offered.
“We try to make sure that we have all homework done in our program so that when the students go home to their parents, it’s strictly family time,” Ritter said. “It’s really made our family ties a lot better because the parents have more freedom at home to enjoy their children instead of having to be a teacher when they get there.”
The program also maintains a working relationship with the broader community. Two years ago, a local factory needed to change their start time for employees. DON’s Den followed suit, ensuring that parents would have enough time each morning to drop their kids off beforehand. The afternoon portion of the program prevents kids from spending as much time home alone while they’re caretakers are still at work.
Program staff incorporate a lot of social and emotional learning into activities. Many students in attendance live in a shelter or are in foster care. According to Ritter, showing them that they are loved and accepted as they are is the key to helping the kids succeed.
“You have to be there if they have a fit and burst out in anger. You can’t scream or yell or get mad at them,” Ritter said. “You just have to show them that you still love them. My staff is great with that. Kids are going to mess up. We all make mistakes, but in the long run, I’m still going to love you when it’s over with.”
The impact of showing this love and care is incredible. One student was kicked out of his home during his senior year. DON’s Den helped place him in another town, but staff noticed something wrong when he came to visit a couple of months later.
He finally opened up to us. He had come to tell all of us goodbye because we were the people that had cared and loved for him,” Ritter said.
He had planned to commit suicide. Ritter and the program staff were determined to find help for him and he’s done much better since they did. He has a job and continuously checks in with them to make sure they know he’s okay.
According to Ritter, the fact that he knew the program was a safe space for him to come to was proof that they’d done their job.
“I love this community,” Ritter said. “We want the best for our kids and that makes me proud to be able to serve them in this way.”
