A reputation of being a boring event for students got a whole lot more fun when Love Your Melon volunteered to run a childcare program while parents attended the conferences.
Lincoln Elementary School (https://www.lincs.wwusd.org/) in Whitewater held Parent Teacher Conferences Tuesday, February 26. Conferences are a big event for any school, so having extra help around made the night go smooth.
There was an array of activities for the kids to do such as coloring, reading, playing games and being active by going to the gym. Parents could check their child in while they attended conferences and pick them up after.
“If Love Your Melon did not attend the Parent Teacher Conferences there wouldn’t have been childcare at the conferences making it more difficult for parents to attend,” said University of Wisconsin Whitewater Love Your Melon Crew Event Coordinator Amy Obrien.
Love Your Melon (https://loveyourmelon.com/) is an organization that helps raise awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer, so the opportunity to volunteer at an Elementary school hanging out with kids was a simple decision.
Carly Hochstein vo
lunteers with Lincoln Elementary school frequently, and she was not going to miss an opportunity to hangout with the kids a little extra. “I already volunteer there so I was excited to potentially see some of the kids I already knew.”
Hochstein ended up playing games with some kids she already knew as well as meeting other ones. The kids had smiles on their faces the entire time and lots of laughter could be heard.
Due to parents being at the conferences while their children were in the childcare, no pictures of the children were allowed to be taken. Hochstein however acted as the model while she played UNO to show off just a little bit of the activities that were available.
A big part of Love Your Melon is giving back to the community and always being ready to help. Seeing children smile and enjoy their lives is what keeps the organization going.
Parent Teacher Conferences would have gone a lot differently if there was no childcare program. Just imagine trying to have a serious talk about your child’s academic career and having them interrupt.
The childcare program was a success, and hopefully Lincoln Elementary School chooses to call in volunteers for the next Parent Teacher Conferences.
The community came together to make an important night be a success. Even serious times call for a little bit of fun.