R.W. Brown Boys & Girls Club

1701 North 8th Street 

Philadelphia, PA 19122

Contact us:

Tel (215) 763-0900

Fax (215) 763-8088

Step inside the R.W. Brown Boys & Girls Club.

The R.W. Brown Boys & Girls Club is a home base for programs designed to educate and encourage youth of all ages. The 39,000-square-foot space hosts our Early Learning Center for preschool programming, the Boys & Girls Club of America after-school program and the very popular, open year-round Teen Club. Participants might learn to care for animals in our small on-site zoo one day and take an informative field trip the next. The R.W. Brown Boys & Girls Club also offers a competition-sized swimming pool, STEM program headquarters, and computer lab.

Our R.W. Brown Boys & Girls Club is licensed to serve 254 children and is a STAR 4 Quality Status holder.

Programs at this Site

Early Learning Center

The Early Learning Center housed within the R.W. Brown Boys & Girls Club serves children from 1 to 5 years old and has achieved the highest Keystone STAR 4 program quality rating.  We accept Pennsylvania Child Care Works (subsidy) and offer PA PreK Counts and PHL PreK high quality pre-kindergarten programs. 

Daily activities include nutritious meals and snacks, learning and literacy activities, outdoor play in our secure playgrounds or indoor play in our gymnasium.

Boys & Girls Clubs

Our Boys & Girls Club at R.W. Brown offers after school, summer camp and a teen program for children ages 6–18.  Activities include:

●        Fitness, sports and recreation

●        Arts, from drawing and painting to music and theater

●        Homework help and tutoring

●        Career development, health and life skills classes

●        Character and leadership development

Our kids participate in local, state, regional and national contests and activities.

Caring Paws

Caring Paws is a Humane Education Program where we have a small zoo with various animals, including rabbits, guinea pigs, and pet rats. Youth have weekly opportunities to visit this zoo in small groups, where they gain experience with the animals by holding, petting, grooming, and feeding them. Youth may also assist with cleaning and other tasks related to animal care. Through their participation in Caring Paws, youth learn about animals’ needs and responsible pet ownership and develop compassion for the animals. For many of the youth, spending time with the animals is therapeutic.  In addition, the STEM lab offers turtles, millipedes, and hissing cockroaches!