By AILEEN BURKE
Staff Writer
Children in the Pine Hills neighborhood now have the chance to go to a new after school care center with plenty to take on and learn: The Kidz Klub Discovery Center. Most after school programs have specific fees, but the Penas work on a “family by family” basis to work out pricing in order to have as many students attend the Kidz Klub as possible.
For years there was a call center housed in the former brown brick church on the corner of North Allen Street and Lincoln Avenue. Together the Pena family and team take care of some 50 students between the ages of 5 and 12 who spend their after school hours learning and playing at the New York state licensed Kidz Klub Discovery Center on a daily basis instead; there are even more students present on days when schools are not open.
The Pena family opened the center in June to offer after school clubs, after school care, summer camps, and child care when students do not have to attend school. Albany native David Pena, who has worked in other local child care centers for 15 years, is in charge of programming with his “right hand,” mother Cher Pena; together with wife Triticia Pena and daughter Nadaya Pena, the leadership team at Kidz Klub provides many opportunities for local students. They employ college and high school students in Albany, including some students that used to attend their programs in the past.
“I want them to be able to accomplish something like this in half the time that it took me. I’m trying to give them a blueprint to life. You go to school, you learn, you graduate, you work hard, you listen to your parents, you get a great education, you graduate from college, get married, settle down, and then you live a great life. You don’t have to struggle. They can set a foundation for their children and that’s where the cycle begins. We are starting it here,” said Pena. “I just want to make a difference. I am trying to help them skip 10 steps. I am 40 now, but it took me a long time to get here.”
Having somewhere for students to go after school is a concern for many families, and the employees recognize the role that they play in the lives of their students.
“I love working with the kids,” said Kamaal Sanders, a teacher at Kidz Klub. “We’re teaching people skills, communication skills. It’s a family organization, it feels very family oriented.”
According to Pena’s mother, a typical after school session starts once the students have washed their hands, eaten a snack, and completed their homework with the help of their teachers. Then, they can go upstairs and let loose in the expansive, colorful play area. The space includes a basketball court, a game room, an art room, and a dramatic play room.
“My favorite part of this is how [the teachers] help us. They help us a lot and it’s really fun,” said Taliyah Peralta, a student at Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology. Another student, Charlize Bell of Pine Hills Elementary, said she loves all the games she plays with her friends at Kidz Klub.
The students come from all over Albany and the surrounding area including Pine Hills Elementary, Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle, and William S. Hackett Middle schools. There are even students from the Rensselaer school district. Some receive transportation to the Center from their respective schools, but Pena picks many students up from school in the Kidz Klub bus.
“I do provide transportation. I take about 15 to 20 kids home every night so the parents that don’t have cars don’t have to worry,” said Pena. There is no additional fee for this service.
Due to the relationship that many families have built with the Penas, whole families have gone through their programs. One teacher, Devrin Grant, 23, started working for the Pena’s when he was 16. Now he is an active student at Hudson Valley Community College. Khamari Snipes was a summer camper for 10 years before starting to work at the Center.
“The program is awesome,” said Kendra McCalom, a mother of three students from the Kidz Klub. “I absolutely recommend it to other parents. My goddaughter went there over the summer. If someone is asking for a program or is looking for somewhere for their kids to go after school, I send them in Dave’s direction.”
The programs at Kidz Klub are diverse; the leadership team is looking to add Martial Arts classes and a Girl Scouts troop in the future. The staff at the Kidz Klub are always looking for ways to improve their offerings and the Center on the whole.
“We just really do it for the kids. It’s like I am living my whole childhood all over again…But I know what to do now,” Pena said. “It’s all for the kids.”
