Tag Archives: PAW

Fun Friday: PAW’s Got Talent

Want to know how much fun you could be having at work? Check out this “PAW’s Got Talent” flyer for our afterschool program at the Preparatory Academy for Writers PAW Jam performance showcase. Our youth development staff at the program decided to have a laugh and photoshopped their faces onto an image of “America’s Got Talent” judges — and the youth participants loved it!

pictured from left to right:
Christopher Thompson, Media & Music Production
Vanessa Hazzard, Assistant Director
Charles Anderson, Principal, Preparatory Academy for Writers
Jessica Behr, Education Coordinator
Carolyn Johnson, Program Director

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It’s PAWsome!

PAW Jam showcase

Students at Preparatory Academy for Writers Shine at PAW Jam

It wasn’t the first time that 7th-grader Jordyn and her fellow afterschool program participants danced in front of an audience. It was the first time the audience included police school safety agents and representatives from an elected official’s office — and Jordyn couldn’t have been more proud of herself and her team.

“We went hard and did great,” Jordyn said through a beaming smile. “I’m so happy for us!”

Jordyn is a student at M.S. 283 Preparatory Academy for Writers, where The Child Center of NY operates a high-quality afterschool program for more than 100 middle schoolers, affectionately nicknamed “Play After Work” (PAW) by Principal Charles Anderson. Continue reading

Ballroom Basix Offers More than Fun and Fancy Footwork at PAW

“We felt like stars!” says eighth-grader Cindy Jean-Francois, a former participant of Ballroom Basix (BBX) at M.S. 283 Preparatory Academy for Writers’ afterschool program, “Play After Work” (PAW). Creating opportunities for our students to build self-confidence and shine is just one of the many facets of The Child Center’s afterschool-enrichment programs — and it’s just one of the benefits of this innovative activity, now in its second year at PAW.

“Dance, and partner dancing specifically, has a huge impact on social and emotional learning,” says The Child Center’s PAW Program Director Carolyn Johnson. “By its very nature, partner dancing is about teamwork. It teaches our kids about working with a partner, about being respectful of your partner.” And, as a result, “parents and educators herald BBX as a unique deterrent to bullying,” says founder and artistic director Sidney “Dr. Dance” Grant, who launched BBX in a single Harlem middle school in 2008 and now operates it at more than 100 schools across NYC’s five boroughs. Continue reading


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