MARYSVILLE – Be careful what you wish for.

When Christina Trader took over the Marysville Boys and Girls Club a few years ago she wanted to figure out how to grow the program.

She must have figured it out.

A “numbers person,” she had a huge smile on her face when she said, “We’ve grown from 25 to 80 a day.”

She said her staff of four has increased to 11 because she wants to keep a low adult-to-kid ratio.

Trader said the increase has been a result of a more positive attitude.

“It’s been a huge eye-opener” on how to do it, she said. “It’s how we present ourselves.”

In 2012, she said the facility wasn’t inviting or friendly. She has tried to create a family environment.

“I tell the kids they are like brothers and sisters,” she said. “They don’t always have to like each other but they have to respect each other. They need to feel safe.”

When there is a problem, the club works with the parents on solving it.

“A key is parent communication. I believe in working with families and kids,” Trader said.

She said she doesn’t believe in kicking kids out of the program because she knows parents have to work.

“We try to meet the needs of the family as well,” she said.

Of course they try to keep the kids away from problems by being structured with lots of activities. Even though there is a computer room she doesn’t let them spend much time there. “They need to play outside,” she said. After lunch they play outside for up to two hours, although this week when it was so hot, they planned to run through the sprinkler and play volleyball inside.

“We want to give them exposure to things they may not get all the time,” Trader said.

They also get to go on field trips. This summer they have been to the kangaroo farm in Arlington, along with the Woodland Park Zoo in Tacoma, the nerf gun arena and swimming pool in Snohomish, and roller skating in Oak Harbor.

Along with playing, they spend time learning. Sno-Isle Library System is helping out to reduce summer learning loss. Participants are separated into grades K-1, 2-3 and 4-6. They also are going to be growing plants in a Tower Garden, built by Rylee Worth, 13, of Marysville Getchell High School.

While Trader works to keep things positive, the club has a couple of programs for those in need that tug at her heartstrings.

One is the summer food program, which provides meals to those less fortunate.

The other is for kids who were in school here, but left and became homeless. They are bused back here each morning for school to keep some continuity in their lives.

Fifteen kids were in the program last school year, including kids now in Anacortes and even Tacoma. “It’s a tough life for those little ages,” Trader said. “It’s a safe place for them to be kids and have fun.

“It’s part of why I will never leave. They get a smile they might not get otherwise.”

Trader said the club has grown by word of mouth and being more active in the community. “We didn’t know there was a club in town,” Trader said she often hears.

She said in the summer her rates compare well with city and YMCA camps.

“We don’t charge an arm and a leg,” she said. “We’re trying to meet a need. We don’t want to make it unreachable.”

Trader said the growth has been “wonderful and daunting. We had a waiting list before school even got out.”