Little hips shake and small shoulders wiggle to catchy hip-hop beats after school.
Dozens of elementary and middle school students are part of the Heart of Boynton Youth Enrichment Academy, which offers a hip-hop dance class on Wednesdays and Thursdays at Poinciana Elementary School. The academy, which started in February, also offers martial arts, homework assistance and field trips.
“We want kids’ grades to improve and behavior in general,” said Robert Dwelle, director of the Boynton Beach Faith-Based Community Development Corp., which runs the program.
The other goals are to place children in a supervised atmosphere and encourage parental involvement, Dwelle said.
The program targets low- and middle-income children in the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard area, dubbed the Heart of Boynton. It only costs $1 a week, compared to the $50 a week the city charges for its after-school program, Dwelle said. Transportation is provided for some children as well. The program operates with a $125,000 grant from the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County.
Shirley King said she’s glad her 6-year-old granddaughter, Timbreia Afkins, finally has something constructive to do after school. Like many of the children, Timbreia is involved in karate and dance.
“We need an activity in our area,” King said. “They don’t have a chance to go [anywhere] or do anything.”
Most of the students in the hip-hop class say they’re having a lot of fun. “We get to do any dance we want and learn new ones,” said Jessica Rossiny, 7, a second-grader at Poinciana.
The martial arts component, offered on Tuesdays and Fridays at First Baptist Church in Boynton Beach, existed before the academy started and has been incorporated into the program. The academy recruited the children enrolled in karate and placed fliers in Boynton Terrace Apartments and the Palm Beach County Public Housing Authority. Its goal was to have 40 children involved in each activity. Both provide time for homework.
The academy plans to add enrichment activities, such as presentations on preventing drug abuse and teen pregnancy. It wants to expand its field trips as well.
Children are going as spectators and participants to karate tournaments in cities such as Miami, but the academy hopes to expose children to businesses and career opportunities as well, Dwelle said. With feedback from the children, the program eventually will add more activities.
Parents meet twice a month to discuss issues such as discipline and to coordinate fund-raisers. Some also assist the children during the academy’s homework time.
“With cooperation from the city, we can move to a larger program,” Dwelle said. “We’re just scratching the surface with the number of kids.”
For more information on the academy or to become a tutor, call 561-742-9491.
Kim McCoy can be reached at or 561-243-6631.
