Zentai Martial Arts & Afterschool recognized as 

Child Development Center of the Year

Zentai announced today that it has been awarded the prestigious Award “Skillz Child Development Center of the Year.” Skillz Worldwide is an international organization that licenses schools and certifies instructors in Child Development. Out of 1200 child development centers in 27 countries, Zentai was chosen as Child Development Center of the Year for superior demonstration and practice of the Skillz principles, attitude, and methods.  

 Zentai breaks the mold of traditional martial arts schools by approaching the student from a holistic perspective. Chief Master Allen De Peña reflected: “When I decided to open the school, I thought to myself, what do black belts know about child development? The answer was “nothing.” As a lifelong martial artist, I was trained in combat, not in child development. So this is when I set out to learn and invest in top-grade instructor training that applies science & psychology while using interactive movement modalities (Martial Arts) as a vehicle.”

Naomy De Peña, a Special Education teacher who serves as Deputy Mayor in the Township of Belleville, is committed to helping their members at the highest level. “Children learn differently and have particular needs at different ages. Our program is designed to offer age-specific classes to address the particular needs of each stage of development. With an increasing focus on academics, traditional educational institutions are falling short on the social, emotional, and physical development needed for children to be successful. We have been able to provide a program that bridges those gaps using a game-based approach to make the process fun.”

 The De Peñas and their team have stated that this award motivates them to continue providing quality programs to the community. “We teach our students that hard work pays off, and this is one of those moments when we get to lead by example. Our goal is not recognition but to change people’s lives, and we are humbled that our commitment to serving our families was acknowledged at an international level”.

Founded only five years ago, Zentai has accomplished great success expanding to three locations in Belleville, Clifton, and North Arlington, becoming a household name in the community. For more information about the Zentai programs, visit Zentai.US