It's a headache for many parents: how to keep their children focused and interested - and out of trouble - when the school day ends. That's a real issue for parents who work, and for parents on modest incomes who may struggle to pay for their children to take part in activities that excite and stimulate them.

But in Kaikohe there is a group that is filling the gap. OSCAR stands for Out of School Care and Recreation and provides before-school, after-school and school holiday programmes.

Alison Shaw from the Celebration Trust which runs OSCAR in Kaikohe spoke to Rotarians this week about how the programme works.

OSCAR has two centres in Kaikohe and is managed by a coordinator and seven staff. The co-ordinator, Gail Erueti, plans the programme of activities. Children on the programme are picked up from school and taken to the centres for the after-school activities. These activities are wide ranging and aim to get children physically active and engaged.

OSCAR covers costs by charging fees to parents. Beneficiary parents can apply to WINZ for a subsidy to help them pay. But recent budget cuts has meant OSCAR has had to scale back some of the activities - especially trips. And they forced OSCAR to get rid of a bus it was chartering to take students from schools to activities. It now uses vans instead.

Alison told us that OSCAR has an average of 25 children in its after-school activities, with room for about another 20. While money is tight, Alison says they scrimp and save to provide a stimulating range of activities and the children appreciate that.

Glenis sutherland thanked Alison for an interesting presentation. OSCAR is doing good work in the Kaikohe community and we told Alison to get in touch if they need any help.