A new social enterprise catering to after-school kids will open in the basement of the Port Moody Arts Centre next month.
Block 8 Academy — a program run by Danita Sepp and her sister, Cindy — will pick up kindergarten to Grade 6 students from their elementary schools and shuttle them to the St. Johns Street facility for arts-related activities.
There, students will have a lesson in music once a week as well as take part in workshops with the centre’s artists-in-residence.
Multiculturalism, outdoor science, community outreach and personal finances are other academy units during the week. In addition, students can be part of classes at surrounding facilities such as Pro Fit and the Kyle Centre.
Danita Sepp, a mother of two, said she modelled her out-of-school care business on similar programs at Coquitlam’s Place des Arts.
Licensed by Fraser Health, Block 8 can enrol up to 24 kids and, starting in the next academic year, will take children from 7 to 8:30 a.m. — enough time to fit in last-minute homework.
In a press release, PMAC Society board president Valerie Simons said Block 8 will open the venue’s doors to “a broader community.”
PMAC has spent the past year trying to balance its books following the addition of the Appleyard/Centennial House in 2014.
Visit block8academy.com.
jwarren@tricitynews.com
