Youth Exchange
with an Aftercare Option for families
Creativity • Collaboration • Care
January 5 - June 8, 2026
Mondays, 4:00-5:30pm
Grades 2-5
email: registration@danceexchange.org to be placed on our Youth Exchange notification list to be notified when our registration opens again.
Youth Exchange is Dance Exchange’s movement and dancemaking program for youth, designed to nurture imagination, confidence, and community. In a supportive, inclusive, and youth-centered environment, young movers explore the foundations of dance, creative expression, and collaborative artmaking. Led by Dance Exchange Lead Artists and trained assistants, Youth Exchange invites students to move, create, reflect, and share in ways that honor their ideas, identities, and growing leadership.
Youth build skills in collaboration, communication, and creativity as they learn to make and perform dances—sometimes weaving in visual art, music, storytelling, or poetry. The session culminates in a joyful community sharing, where families and friends are invited to witness students’ original creations.
What Young Movers Can Expect:
Compassionate check-ins that help students notice how they’re feeling and build trusting relationships.
A physical warm-up or game adapted for all bodies and abilities.
Creative exploration through improvisation, where young people make choices, express ideas, and practice attentive listening.
Solo, duet, and group choreography, guided by student imagination.
Opportunities to perform and respond, learning how to share work and offer thoughtful feedback.
Integration of multiple art forms—movement, drawing, poetry, music—based on student interest.
A final performance that celebrates their artistry with family, friends, and community.
Youth Exchange as Aftercare for Local Schools
A seamless, creative, and caring end to the school day.
Beginning in 2026, Youth Exchange will also operate as a full aftercare option for students from area schools, including:
Breakthrough Montessori Public Charter School
Takoma Park Elementary School
Piney Branch Elementary School
Other neighborhood public, charter, and independent schools
Families may opt for Youth Exchange / Aftercare, a companion program that extends the day with an intentional blend of rest, creativity, and community. This option is designed especially for schools seeking an enriching, movement-based aftercare partnership.
Youth Exchange / Aftercare continues the spirit of Youth Exchange while meeting the practical needs of working families. Students arrive and transition into an afternoon that balances quiet time with creative play, deepened movement exploration, and supportive social connection.
What Aftercare Offers
Time to decompress through reading, journaling, drawing, or quiet reflection.
Guided creative play—movement games, improvisation, mini-choreography prompts, and storytelling.
A nurturing environment for all bodies, abilities, and energy levels.
Connection and collaboration, deepening friendships across schools and ages.
Caring adult leadership from Dance Exchange artists and teaching assistants trained in youth-centered, trauma-informed, and arts-integrated engagement.
This structure ensures that Youth Exchange /Aftercare doesn’t just fill time—it enriches. Students leave feeling more grounded, connected, expressive, and ready to return the next day with confidence and creativity.
What is the tuition for Youth Exchange / Aftercare?
Pay-It-Forward Rate: $20/class = $380
This rate helps cover your participation and supports scholarships for others. If you are able to contribute at this level, you help make the Youth Exchange / Aftercare program more accessible for all.
Standard/True Cost Rate: $18/class = $342
This reflects the actual cost of running the Youth Exchange / Aftercare program. Choosing this rate helps us sustain the full scope of the program.
Supported Rate: $16/class = $304
This reduced rate is available for those who need it. We invite you to select this option if the standard rate presents a barrier to participation.
Limited scholarship opportunities are available. If price is a barrier for your family, please let us know in your registration or reach out to registration@danceexchange.org.
Youth Exchange / Aftercare
Class Time: 4:00-5:30pm
Dates: January 5, 2026 - June 8, 2026
Class Location: Dance Exchange, 7117 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912
Class Dates:
Monday, January 5, 2026
Monday, January 12, 2026
Jan 19 - NO CLASS: MLK Day
Monday, January 26, 2026
Monday, February 2, 2026
Monday, February 9, 2026
Feb 16 - NO CLASS: Presidents Day
Monday, February 23, 2026
Monday, March 2, 2026
Monday, March 9, 2026
Monday, March 16, 2026
Monday, March 23, 2026
Monday, March 30, 2026
Monday, April 6, 2026
Monday, April 13, 2026
Monday, April 20, 2026
Monday, April 27, 2026
Monday, May 4, 2026
Monday, May 11, 2026
Monday, May 18, 2026
May 25 - NO CLASS: MEMORIAL DAY
Monday, June 1, 2026
Monday, June 8, 2026