After a long day of work for Marissa Tobin and a busy day of school for her daughter Payten, they’re baking cookies and catching up.

Payten is enrolled in the new Girls Inc. program in Troy, the after-school program that has more than a thousand sites across the country.

“It’s going to give her more opportunities than other after-school programs. She can engage in STEM-like programs which women are typically underrepresented in," said Tobin.

It provides a safe space for girls to participate in hands-on educational activities, mentoring opportunities, and have a chance to earn college scholarships.

And what brings comfort to most parents is that the program is free. Tobin says not having to pay for after-school care saves her $400 a month.

“Access to free and affordable child care is important, especially in single parent households," said Tobin.

The new Girls Inc. site at the Arts Center of the Capital Region is opening its doors for young minds.

“What we’re most excited about the girls having to look forward to is that the traditional Girls Inc. programming focuses on STEM-like activities, but also working with the arts center on stimulating the girls with art programming like pottery, stained glass and wood working," said Ashli Fragomeni, executive director of Girls Inc.

Fragomeni says the October start will focus on a smaller group of 20 fourth and fifth graders, but the group hopes to welcome more families in 2023.

And as someone who grew up in Troy, Fragomeni is looking forward to the new chapter.

“Gender inequality for girls is not going away any time soon. So being able to have gender-based programming in our cities, in our communities, in our rural areas, is the goal," said Fragomeni.

The program has helped thousands of girls become whoever they want to be. When Payten thinks about what she wants to be when she grows up, she has a few ideas. Currently, it’s a 911 operator.

“First it was an astronaut, then it was an actor, then a nurse," said Fragomeni.