The Cobbs Creek community is invited this Wednesday, Dec. 7 to come see the recently opened West Philadelphia Boys & Girls Club, located at 5843-55 Catharine Street. Caring People Alliance is celebrating the grand opening of this long-awaited facility with a ribbon cutting followed by an indoor coat giveaway and mobile food pantry for the community.

Community members are invited to visit the mobile food pantry presented by The Print Foundation, Inc. and select a new children’s coat in the newly refitted gymnasium. The event kicks off at 3 p.m. and goes until 4:30.

The 25,000-square-foot Boys & Girls Club provides two floors of classrooms, a large multi-purpose room, and a gym with a pull-down screen and a professional basketball court. The entire building is handicapped accessible.

“We are very excited to bring this full-service, state-of-the-art facility to the community,” says Jerry Macdonald, president and CEO of Caring People Alliance. “It features an early learning center and after school programming. In the future, it will offer teen and senior programming.” Continue Reading

The 2022-2023 school year has begun today for tens of thousands of Philadelphia children and youth with the School District of Philadelphia welcoming students back into school buildings. For parents and guardians seeking free or low-cost afterschool or recreational activities for their kids, check out these two programs below.

LEAP at the Free Library of Philadelphia

The Free Library’s Literacy Enrichment Afterschool Program (LEAP) returns for a new school year at all libraries throughout the city with a playful learning focus for younger students and a focus on literacy and 21st century skills for all ages. LEAP is currently scheduled to be offered Monday through Friday at every library as staffing and operating hours allow.

The Library’s LEAP Out-of-School-Time Programming will offer Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) activities, literacy activities, slime making, and more. LEAP will offer homework assistance in-person during Library hours and live tutoring through Homework Help Online from 10:00 a.m. to midnight, 7 days a week. Continue Reading

After School Activities Partnerships (ASAP) has released its 2015-2016 directory of Philadelphia after-school programs, which includes printed and online directories. The directory connects parents, youth and caregivers with extended-day programs and after-school resources throughout the city. This year’s printed ASAP Directory will be included in all editions of The Philadelphia Daily News on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Additional copies will be made available at libraries and transit hubs. The searchable online version of the directory is already available and is continuously updated.

Parents and caregivers can search the online directory by activity, such as arts and crafts, sports, writing, computer training, music, drama, and many more. An online map will help find programs in your area. Users can also browse directory listings by name. After-school care providers can submit information about their programs to be included in the directory.

As an example, we searched for programs offering arts and crafts, and here’s what the screenshot with the results looks like.

Photo courtesy of 8 Limbs Academy.

UPDATE (3/11/2015): 8 Limbs Academy opened on March 3, 2015. Here’s a short update from Coach Kate:

“We are scheduling FREE intros but are booked all through March, and we are starting to fill April. We are offering early morning ALL female kickboxing at 6 a.m. and evening classes starting at 6 p.m. The children’s classes start at 4:15 p.m., and there is an after school program for them starting at 3:00 p.m. Here is a link to our schedule: www.8limbsacademy.com/8-limbs-current-schedule.”

Here’s some exciting news for local martial arts and fitness fans. Partners and coaches Charlie Cottone and Kate Allen are opening a Muay Thai Kickboxing school, 8 Limbs Academy, on Baltimore Avenue in March. For those who are not very familiar with kickboxing, Muay Thai or Thai boxing is a national sport of Thailand. It is a physical and mental discipline also known as “the art of eight limbs,” because eight points of contact are used in the combat: fists, elbows, knees, and shins.

Eight Limbs Academy is expected to open in the first week of March, and coaches Charlie and Kate have already started preregistering folks, kids and adults alike, for their programs, which include All Female Kickboxing, Adult Muay Thai, and Kids Muay Thai programs. They will also offer an after-school program for kids who can come and spend time in the gym after school, including doing their homework, before their Muay Thai lesson. In addition to that, the owners hope to work closely and be involved with the West Philadelphia community. Continue Reading

As West Philly Local reported, Mighty Writers  recently opened its West Philly location, Mighty Writers West, in the People’s Emergency Center at 3861 Lancaster Avenue. Mighty Writers West welcomed their first students on Monday:

Day 1 at MW West! pic.twitter.com/h5ovxudj1i

— Mighty Writers (@MightyWriters) September 16, 2013

One of the programs offered by Mighty Writers is a daily after-school Academy where students get help with their homework and learn how to produce informative, persuasive, narrative and poetry writing.

This free program runs from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday during the school year and spaces are still available for students in grades 3-8. To download an application, click here. For more information, visit: http://www.mightywriters.org/west-philly-academy/

Photo via neighborhoodbikeworks.org.

Neighborhood Bike Works, a wonderful local program that provides educational, recreational, and career-building opportunities for urban youth through bicycling, is inviting young West Philadelphians to join their Ride Club this September. Ride club is a new four-week free after-school program for youth ages 8-18. The club will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Neighborhood Bike Works location at 3916 Locust Walk and program participants will go on fun routes to explore this part of the city and will also get lessons in mechanics, health, and fitness.

All Ride Club participants should know how to ride a bike and must be able to ride 20 minutes without a break. Neighborhood Bike Works can provide youth with a bike and helmet to use during rides.

For more information and to download a registration form, visit: http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org/programs/ride_club/