Adonis Balbuena’s background is in martial arts and he owned his own academy, but he decided to switch gears recently. He is currently the director of operations for the Children’s Character Development Center, 401 NW Boca Raton Blvd., and he said the children in his charge do much more than just kill time or clock watch.
“As a single father, I understand that utilizing childcare facilities is a necessity. At many of these places, you just get the sense that they are watching their watches and just keeping kids busy until you arrive,” he said.
The CCDA uses an award-winning character curriculum, Character First!, which teaches children leadership qualities including loyalty, patience, self-control and attentiveness among others.
“We work on one concept per week, and the reason I really like this curriculum is because it reflects the school year. The lessons are broken down into 36 parts, and we really gear the plan toward their interests,” he said.
Balbuena sits perspective clients down for an interview and gears the child’s program toward their specific needs and interests.
“Let’s say Sally wants to be a journalist. I would devise a curriculum where she would interview mom and dad, take pictures, write the story and I would print it out,” he said.
Balbuena said this approach grew out of a desire to begin teaching children at an early age about leadership and character.
“If you want to be a police officer, there is an academy for that. If you want to be a doctor, you go to med school, but where can children go in these formative years to learn about character and leadership?” he said.
Balbuena also knows cost can be an impediment and said money would not prevent a child from attending the academy.
“Losing an arm, that’s a problem. Not having enough money is a challenge, a challenge that can be easily overcome,” he said.
The academy accepts children ages 2-11, and it is offering a $99 a week summer special. For more information, visit www.characterthroughsports.com.