By AILEEN BURKE
News Editor
On the Corner of North Allen and Lincoln Avenue is the Kidz Klub Discovery Center. In addition to their already robust, year-round program offerings, the Pena Family and their teachers have just added a Girl Scout troop.
“Many of our girls live in neighborhoods where surviving and getting by are the only options presented. We wanted to give them options and hope,” said Dave Pena, the owner and Program Director of Kidz Klub. “We decided to provide Girl Scouts because it’s something a vast amount of the girls at our program wouldn’t normally be exposed to.”
The Girl Scout troop was part of the Center’s plans since their June 2018 opening, and it did not take long for it to get off of the ground.
“It’s been a great program for our girls,” said Kidz Klub leader Triticia Pena.
“Since we’ve opened our program in the Pine Hills area, we’ve been planning and coordinating with the Capital Region Girl Scouts so it was all a matter of figuring out the best time to start.”
Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York operates three service centers that are local to the Capital Region. According to Daniella Noran, a member of the Marketing team for the Northeastern New York chapter of the Girl Scouts of America, there are 197 number of troops in Albany County, and 917 troops affiliated with the division; the Kidz Klub troop is a welcome new addition to both the Girl Scouts organization and the Pine Hills neighborhood.
“We always are excited when a new troop opens,” said Noran. “We want to make Girl Scouts accessible to everyone.” Noran additionally stated that Girl Scouts takes pride in providing a uniquely tailored, “girl led” experience.
The 15 troop members at the Kidz Klub Discovery Center will have access to the full program which includes various activities; discussing life skills; meeting new friends; science, mathematics, technology, and engineering exposure; and of course, the signature annual cookie sales that teach entrepreneurship throughout the entire month of February. According to the national Girl Scouts office, most sales occur between January and April.
Their meetings are currently held on a biweekly basis, and are led by representatives from the local Girl Scouts entity.
The Kidz Klub Discovery Center is looking forward to continuously expanding their offerings throughout 2019. In addition to the first meeting of their new Girl Scout troop, dance classes have started with a new instructor on Fridays, and basketball lessons have started at the Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Other programming and building renovation projects are in the works for the course of the year according to the Pena family leadership team.
While the Girl Scouts program is exciting for the Center’s participating students, the employees of Kidz Klub are equally happy with the presence of a troop for the girls. This troop is in addition to their already operating weekly Girls Group.
“It’s amazing to see an organization that focuses on bringing up strong young women,” said Emily Paolicelli. Paolicelli is a sophomore english adolescent education major and a former girl scout. “I know what the process does for girls; it fosters independence, creativity, teamwork, practical skills, positivity, essentially all the necessary skills to function well as an adult. It’s another step in setting our students up for a future of being well-rounded, reliable, and stable.”
