This creative hands-on class has students working on a new and very cool craft project every week with their favorite after-school staff members!

Never mind that chess is a great exercise for the mind that increases math and literacy abilities. Chess is a great game, and kids love it! We offer beginner, intermediate and advanced chess classes, as well as an annual tournament for students in our Manhattan Youth programs.

Students will sketch fashion figures, design fabrics, and create full lines of clothing, producing their own style books. Students will work toward an end of semester Fashion show featuring the design pieces they've worked on.

Our mini chefs learn essential kitchen skills, from slicing and mixing to chopping and plating. We develop and encourage nutritious food choices while working together to prepare snacks and meals. Every class ends with a delicious treat!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Students will be introduced to the basics of journalism and have a chance to be published in this exciting club. Kids will experiment with writing, layout, and design while sharing their opinions with the school community.

Students develop fundamental sport skills, concentration, and sportsmanship while playing sports and games.

In this course, curated and facilitated by the renowned Renascent Institute, students will learn the basics of the Spanish language through a variety of activities such as brief conversations, directed dialogues, worksheets, and short writing exercises. Additionally, audio and visual aids, as well as short reading passages, will be utilized to enhance the learning experience.  Learning a new language is a bridge, an essential tool in today’s global world, to learn across new different disciplines such as Science, Arts, History, Economy, and Business to achieve personal and professional goals.

A veteran puppeteer, actor, circus performer and maskmaker, introduces students to many styles and techniques of creating, building and manipulating puppets.

This class offers a multi-faceted approach to stimulating children's intellect and emotions. Through participation, children can develop their social and emotional skills, gain confidence, and learn to collaborate with others while expressing their own individual ideas.

Kids will receive daily challenges of structures to build with Legos. There will also be time for students to explore on their own and in small groups, building creations of their own invention.

Children let their imaginations run free as they explore and experiment using clay, paint, found objects and other unusual materials to create their own masterpiece. This open ended class provides different stations with various art materials to help bring your child's vision to life!

Students will hone their skills as photographers as they learn the basics of composition, lighting, exposure, and post production!

From Salsa and Samba to Hip-Hop to Tango, immerse your child in a multicultural dance class which builds knowledge and understanding of dance styles from all over the globe.

This energetic class builds strength, flexibility and fitness. Students develop acrobatic skills while having fun!!

With a steady hand and a wild imagination, students will learn how to design and decorate palm-sized sweet treats. Ranging from cookies and cupcakes, to lollipops and jello molds, everything beautiful and wacky can be made here!

This class is a fun and great opportunity for the students to experience different methods, styles and medium in art. The class will cover painting, drawing, printmaking, paper making, sculpture and much more. As the young artist work with different mediums, learning about the Master's and the different periods of art: pop, surreal, renaissance, and many of the modern/contemporary art trend.

Introduce your child to the world of ceramics! Develop motor skills and learn creative problem solving through projects aimed at stimulating imagination and creativity. Projects range from animal themed sculptures, making a new favorite cup or bowl, figurative work and more!

We are proud to offer Youth Swim Lessons as a choice in our After-School Programs. Children receive the same instruction and swim experience as our Youth swim lessons.  Your child will be picked up directly from their classroom at school dismissal, have a snack, and be transported to the Downtown Community Center for childcare activities provided by our After-school staff.

To find out more on our After-School programs, please click here.

Please note that swim offerings and schedules vary by school. 

If you attend a school that is not in our network, you may sign your student up for drop-off After School at the Downtown Community Center.

This class is a fun and great opportunity for the students to experience different methods, styles and medium in art. The class will cover painting, drawing, printmaking, paper making, sculpture and much more. As the young artist work with different mediums, learning about the Master's and the different periods of art: pop, surreal, renaissance, and many of the modern/contemporary art trend.

This energetic class builds strength, flexibility and fitness. Students develop acrobatic skills such as tumbling, balance, endurance and coordination.

From Salsa and Samba to Hip-Hop to Tango, immerse your child in a multicultural dance class which builds knowledge and understanding of dance styles from all over the globe.

Each student becomes a culinary innovator with a challenging clash of ingredients presented. Creations will be judged by uniqueness, appearance and effort. The winner adds a mystery ingredient to the weekly draw box!

Working with clay has been all the rage. This class will explore all the different ways of creating with clay.  Handbuilding and working on the pottery wheel helps develop motor skills, problem-solving abilities and creativity through a variety of stimulating projects. From animal-themed sculptures to crafting their own favorite cup or bowl, there are endless possibilities for imaginative, figurative, and function work.

In this course, curated and facilitated by the renowned Renascent Institute, students will learn the basics of the Spanish language through a variety of activities such as brief conversations, directed dialogues, worksheets, and short writing exercises. Additionally, audio and visual aids, as well as short reading passages, will be utilized to enhance the learning experience.  Learning a new language is a bridge, an essential tool in today’s global world, to learn across new different disciplines such as Science, Arts, History, Economy, and Business to achieve personal and professional goals.

Children study their cherished bedtime stories, from Hans Christian Andersen to the Brothers Grimm, learning the foundations of storytelling and magical imagery, to invent their own enchanting tales.

Join us for a fun science class where we'll explore DNA, chemical reactions, and osmosis while making yummy treats like gummy bears! We'll also conduct hands-on experiments using everyday items, including plant and animal projects, rocket and car building, and LEGO and Kinex structures. Don't miss out!

Our mini chefs learn essential kitchen skills, from slicing and mixing to chopping and plating. We develop and encourage nutritious food choices while working together to prepare snacks and meals. Every class ends with a delicious treat!

Our blend of intramural sports and non-competitive sports skills and drills is sure to meet your young athlete's needs! Students will engage in a variety of seasonal sports responding to the physical fitness and socioemotional need for students eager to have a fun environment, where they can reconnect with their peers, and their favorite after-school coaches and group leaders.  

Students in cheer squad will learn and practice a variety of cheers that build strength, coordination, and teamwork.

Students develop skills, good sportsmanship and a sense of team spirit. Players are divided into groups based on experience and skill level. Each class session includes a lesson, drills and a game or scrimmage.

A high-energy, intense class for dancers of all experience levels. The dance studio will be hopping to today's pop stars as students learn individual and teamwork skills that evolve into polished dance numbers. All students participate in a Manhattan Youth dance performance at the end of each semester

In this course, students will explore the evolutionary history of various modern animals and their prehistoric counterparts, ranging from jellyfish to dinosaurs.

In this class, students will have the opportunity to learn about culture, through food, from their favorite after-school counselors! Each month, our Amazing chef Tammy will be joined by a counselor who will share their culture through stories, pictures and most importantly, yummy recipes. Bon appetit!

Every kid knows that you don't really learn anything unless you make a mess and get your hands dirty. This class lets the creativity thrive by allowing  everything oozy, grimy, slippery and slimy to work with while making beautiful art projects. 

Introduce your child to the world of ceramics! Develop motor skills and learn creative problem solving through projects aimed at stimulating imagination and creativity. Projects range from animal themed sculptures, making a new favorite cup or bowl, figurative work and more!

We are proud to offer Youth Swim Lessons as a choice in our After-School Programs. Children receive the same instruction and swim experience as our Youth swim lessons.  Your child will be picked up directly from their classroom at school dismissal, have a snack, and be transported to the Downtown Community Center for childcare activities provided by our After-school staff.

To find out more on our After-School programs, please click here.

Please note that swim offerings and schedules vary by school. 

If you attend a school that is not in our network, you may sign your student up for drop-off After School at the Downtown Community Center.

A high-energy, intense class for dancers of all experience levels. The dance studio will be hopping to today's pop stars as students learn individual and teamwork skills that evolve into polished dance numbers. All students participate in a Manhattan Youth dance performance at the end of each semester

In this club, participants will play and tinker with numerous table top role playing games including Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), Pathfinder, Knave, and more. Your child will learn about the mechanics of table top role playing games and use their knowledge to run their own games using the principles of game design.

Students will learn all about ecosystems and how we can preserve them. From worm composting and recycling to green energy and sustainable power, students will explore how the world works, and what it will take to keep it going!

Learning about international food expands your culinary experience and knowledge. This class will highlight the many different cuisines around the world. Students will learn how to make the recipe but also learn what factors influence what we are cooking and why. Some examples of the recipes we will make are dumplings, shakshuka, quiche, apple cake, chickpea curry. We will also take student requests.

Working with clay has been all the rage. This class will explore all the different ways of creating with clay.  Handbuilding and working on the pottery wheel helps develop motor skills, problem-solving abilities and creativity through a variety of stimulating projects. From animal-themed sculptures to crafting their own favorite cup or bowl, there are endless possibilities for imaginative, figurative, and function work.

As digital technology continues to make its way into all aspects of our lives, the need for effective graphic design has never been greater. This course is ideal for students who seek an introduction to graphic design or have a general interest in learning how to create and communicate through visual media. Through a comprehensive look at topics such as layout, typography, color, space, balance, and hierarchy, students will be exposed to the most effective uses of graphic design in today's visual world. Students will create projects such as posters, stickers and t-shirts.

We are proud to offer Youth Swim Lessons as a choice in our After-School Programs. Children receive the same instruction and swim experience as our Youth swim lessons.  Your child will be picked up directly from their classroom at school dismissal, have a snack, and be transported to the Downtown Community Center for childcare activities provided by our After-school staff.

To find out more on our After-School programs, please click here.

Please note that swim offerings and schedules vary by school. 

If you attend a school that is not in our network, you may sign your student up for drop-off After School at the Downtown Community Center.

Go on an adventure in each class as students learn yoga poses that will build strength and flexibility. Class participants will use their senses and controlled breath to move their bodies and discover what it really feels like to ground to the earth and center themselves using techniques to calm the mind.

Students will learn to knit and crochet while creating their own original designs.

Students will hone their skills as photographers as they learn the basics of composition, lighting, exposure, and post production!