West Philadelphia rapper Anthony “Dappa” Samuels co-founded the Young With Options Academic Center, which primarily serves low-income families in the region. He plans to build more daycares in the future, despite the fact that the center has been in operation for many years.
After quitting his job as an accountant, the 30-year-old artist helped create the company in 2017. He told the Philadelphia Inquirer in an interview, “I love being able to be there and be hands-on. I take a lot of pride in that, and it actually helps me with music and in life.”
The academic center, according to its website, “seeks to provide high-quality, safe, and engaging education to our young scholars.”
Furthermore, the organization claims that the daycare welcomes all families and provides opportunities “that some children may not be able to experience outside of our center” in order to build “the leaders of tomorrow.”
The rapper works with his assistant director, Dinnelle Jordan, to arrange a variety of creative courses at YWO, including as poetry, music, and acting activities. He enjoys setting a good example for the children in the daycare.
“We believe that it is important to introduce and assist children with performing at their highest potential while growing with us,” a statement on YWO’s website read.
Samuels, who grew up in North Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion area, is likewise no stranger to the conditions that many of the youngsters come from. He wants to open additional daycares and have a bigger impact on the lives of children. “It’s all about me making a difference,” he says.
Janelle Walls, the mother of a 7-year-old YWO student, spoke highly of the academy. She added that Samuels has been preaching positivism at the school since her daughter started there six years ago. He even assisted her family when they couldn’t afford childcare, she added.
“Everything about him and what he does is consistent with the ‘Young With Options brand’,” Walls told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “To me, it’s a message to kids that you can be yourself and still be successful.”