Welcome to Wisconsin Youth Company at Heritage!

Get to Know Staff:

We have been up and down, inside and out, washed and dried, and run through the spin cycle all within the last two weeks. Let’s hope the last month of program gives us some consistent nice weather. Mr. Rob and Ms. Louise have brought up the fact that weather is not just small talk anymore — but the talk. The first hail storm hit Mr. Rob pretty hard, resulting in some damage to his car. Ms. Louise made it home, gratefully; she doesn’t live far. I made it home with two minutes to spare. I closed the garage door, went into the house, and the pinging started. We are all looking to change the conversation to something a little more pleasant.

April Recap:

We are still crafting away at After School! The hot pad craze has slowed down and we are looking to make a change. How do you feel about bracelets? It is a wonderful feeling to see the kids helping each other. A few of the students turn into teachers and seeing them doing that really warms the heart.

Family night was a huge success! The kids enjoyed the Cardboard Carnival. They had some great ideas and they experienced the need to “go back to the drawing board.” With some guidance, they might see the magic of recycling cardboard and have a carnival of their own. We saved a lot of money using what we had around the program space. They had good ideas and helped with designing and decorating the games. They acted as the research and development team as well as the quality assurance department. It was pretty fun seeing them find flaws and make adjustments.

May Happenings:

Our new crafting time will be bracelet making. I can only hope you are ready for some new fashions! Friendship bracelets, paracord bracelets, beaded bracelets, and even rubberband bracelets are going to make their way onto your wrists and maybe around your neck! Fun fact, folks from Pittsburgh call rubber bands — gumbands.

Family Engagement:

Our Magic: The Gathering group has expanded, and some of our first-grade students are becoming quite interested. If your child has an interest, you are certainly welcome to pose any questions to Mr. Rob. He does incredible work with this group. His focus toward taking care of the cards is a huge part of the process. He makes sure that families investing in the hobby see that their child is maturing in a way that would otherwise be missed. He continues to be especially helpful in recognizing the value of the cards.

Do you have a child who will enter grade 6-9 in Fall 2026? If so, check out our Middle School U program! MSU is the perfect place for middle school students to explore new interests, learn new skills, and make new friends! 

Registration is available on a course-by-course basis with half-day and full-day options. See course options.

• No Program:
  • Monday, May 18
  • Monday, May 25
  • Tuesday, June 9 – Last day of After School
• Summer 2026 registration is open. Learn more.
• Report absences by calling or texting the Attendance Message Line at 608-276-9898
• Pease make sure children have appropriate clothing for outside time. See weather chart below.
• If you’d like to contact me with concerns or questions, please feel free to email me at cwarga@wisconsinyouthcompany.org 
• Site cell phone number: 608-445-9051
• We have our own lost and found operation; if we find something at the end of the day, we put it out the next day for a child to claim. Putting the child’s initials on the clothing labels and somewhere on their water bottles helps us get things back to whom they belong. This is especially helpful with hats and gloves. We have discovered that children who use a tote to haul their winter gear have a much easier time packing up and do not experience misplaced items. We suggest vinyl and PVC reusable grocery bags.
• We cannot let children go back into the school to get something from their classroom.
• The new “text when you arrive” policy is working well. Please text when you arrive and let us know if you are in a different auto. The kids look out the window when asked to pack up and become confused when they don’t see your normal vehicle.
• A quick note regarding pickup, we are quite busy during program, and there are times when we receive multiple texts for pickup at the same time. We ask the kids to clean up their area prior to packing up and sometimes they can get distracted. We want to make sure that they follow the process of putting things away before leaving.

This chart shows what children need to wear when programs go outside.

Billy Boos is the program manager for After School at Heritage Elementary. Please feel free to reach out to Billy if you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding program. He is available by email at: bboos@wisconsinyouthcompany.org or by phone at 608-445-8019.