LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The weather outside may night feel like it— but summer in Arkansas is right around the corner.
And while keeping your kids busy when school's out might not always be fun for them, it may be the best option for you and the community.
That's where The Village Place, a local non-profit, is trying to help.
The Village Place's mission is to turn summer into a prime time for learning outside the classroom that's free for parents.
This summer will be 7th grader Lawrence Hobbs' second year interning for Todd's T & C Auto Clinic in Little Rock through The Village Place's learning lab program.
"I applied because I want to do something other than sitting in a house," Hobbs said. "Go out and explore and meet new people... by agricultural learning, automotive work, and carpentry."
The Village Place's summer learning lab looks through student applications and pays $15 an hour (for those accepted) to work around Central Arkansas.
"The experiential learning lab program is a program that offers students the opportunity to learn trades in a community environment," The Village Place Executive Director Billie Woods said.
Within the learning lab, dozens of students can learn at various places in Central Arkansas each summer. Woods encourages any business willing to host a student to apply as well.
"Any businesses focused on trying specific work... anything like that can apply," Woods said.
Arkansas Stop the Violence Director Walter Crockran said free programs like the one The Village Place offers help keep kids safe during the summer.
"It keeps them from wandering around in neighborhoods without anything to do," Crockran said. "They have something to do, and they also have positive role models to follow."
And beyond a part-time summer job, Woods said the program connects a community.
"[Hobbs] has been able to establish a great relationship with Mr. Todd," Woods said. "Those kinds of relationships are beneficial from the time you're a kid all the way to adulthood."
The learning lab internship program runs weekly from early June through late August with single-day or multi-week options.
If you want to learn more about participating in the learning lab this year, The Village Place is still accepting new student and business applicants here.
For more information, you can reach out to Billie Woods at (501) 319-3661.