DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — The past few days, sixth grader Bianca Taylor has spent almost as much time at the Decatur YMCA as she has in school.
"The heat is so hot and sometimes our air doesn't really work," she said.
That's a common theme across many central Illinois districts, a mid-September heat wave force early dismissals.
"My daughter and I are constantly on the phone trying to figure out who's going to take off and pick [my grandkids] up," said Bianca's grandmother Linda Taylor.
Those kids either go home — sometimes to empty houses — or they end up in an after-school program.
"We have a backup plan and we have our staff adjust accordingly," said YMCA youth development director Jacqui Hupp. "[After that], then you make the accommodations for half day care."
For kids like Bianca, an after-school program like this does more than keep them out of trouble. It gives them a chance to keep their minds active and develop a sense of wonder.
"Most kids just go home and then they sit down and then they watch TV," Bianca said. "But here at the [YMCA], we just explore — off of electronics."
