CHAMPAIGN – The Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club building will soon be a teen center, devoted solely to middle school and high school students, while the elementary students the club serves will have their own space at First Presbyterian Church near downtown Champaign.

Separating the two groups of students will help the club serve each age group better, said Executive Director Andre Arrington.

"Our program has grown so much. We have so many kids in elementary school, it has impacted our ability to serve middle-schoolers and high-schoolers," Arrington said.

Moving the elementary students will mean more space for teens who want to come to the club right after school, and a different atmosphere for them.

It can be difficult for teens now, said Sonya Lynch, program director of prevention services for the club.

"They're in here and there are 80 little kids running around them. They're feeling like it's a place for little kids," Lynch said. "They want to hang out, sit around and talk to their friends, play some games. All the little kids are running around and there's no quiet space."

This summer, the club averaged 135 to 140 students per day, Arrington said. That is down somewhat from the past, because the club increased its fees for the summer program and was not able to offer scholarships this year.

Arrington said staff members expect they'll have 75 to 80 elementary students per day during the school year, and 60 to 70 teenagers.

The club, at 201 E. Park Ave., C., has teen nights Tuesday through Friday from 6 to 9 p.m., although teens are welcome to be there earlier. About four years ago, the club tried limiting time for high school students until after 6 p.m. It alienated some of those students, Arrington said. It also gave the club a smaller time frame to offer programs for teens, he said.

Most high school students don't come to the club until later, because they are working on school projects or doing extracurricular activities after school. But many middle school students do come to the club right after school.

"There were so many elementary students, they took up every room in the building," Arrington said. "It was hard to give dedicated space to teenagers. Teenagers want to decompress after school, not be around younger siblings."

The two groups of students also have vastly different programs. For example, while both groups recognize Reb Ribbon Week (a drug prevention campaign), the elementary students do so with coloring pages and the older students may write letters about their feelings about substance abuse by people they know and compose raps and poetry.

They do dances during the club's talent show that may not be appropriate for younger children, Lynch said, and the groups have to be separated if the teens are watching a PG-13 movie.

It's also tough to settle the younger children down with so many people in the building, said Debarah McFarland, who oversees the programs for elementary students.

"The most challenging part is to focus the young club members, especially for quiet time, because we have no quiet space over at Park Street," McFarland said.

With a dedicated teen center, Lynch has plans to create a "DMBG City" with a mini-government, and she wants to offer a life skills program as well.

The club's elementary students will use space at First Presbyterian Church, 302 W. Church St., C., that was formerly occupied by the Mother's Morning Out program, which moved to a new location this summer.

"They've made it very convenient for us. This is a great partnership," McFarland said.

The church had been talking with the Boys & Girls Club about mentoring opportunities, said its pastor, the Rev. Rick Snyder. Then the club's staff approached the church about renting space there.

"We had the educational building available and were actively looking for mission opportunities," Snyder said. "We are delighted for this opportunity."

The church has committed to renting space for the elementary program for the fall semester at a "very nominal" fee, Snyder said. He hopes it's the start of a growing partnership that may eventually include involvement by church members with the program.

"While they'll be running the program, we envision this as a true partnership, and we're really excited," Snyder said.

The two age groups will be in separate spaces beginning Aug. 23. The club will have a parent orientation and tour of the new space at the church at 5:30 p.m. Monday and noon Tuesday, McFarland said.