Tony Dilworth wants to learn to dance to hip-hop so he can join family members, who already know how to dance. And, 8-year-old Tomas Galeano wants to improve his reading -- he says he is getting better.

Beginning this week, Jesus, Tony, Tomas and other children at Manuel L. Real Elementary School have the luxury of staying after school for extra help with reading and math and an opportunity to learn dancing and art.

Manuel Real and Mead Valley elementary schools are sharing a $1.9 million federal grant to create 21st Century Community Learning Centers -- an after-school program for rural and inner-city public schools that provides enrichment classes and activities for students and programs for families and adults.

The Mead Valley schools are part of the Val Verde Unified School District. For years, schools in the Mead Valley area have been among the lowest performing in the region. But, in the past three years, test scores at Manuel Real, Mead Valley and Tomas Rivera Middle School have improved.

Manuel Real Principal Ernesto Lizarraga attributes the academic improvements to committed teachers and staff and the eager students.

"Our teachers don't leave . . . they're committed to this community," he said during a recent reception to kick off the learning center grant. "The vision is: We do as much as we can for these kids. We want to empower them."

Mead Valley is an unincorporated area of Riverside County. There are no sidewalks in this community dotted with mobile homes on dirt lots. Poverty and crime have been high for generations, said Mead Valley Principal Earl Shore.

"Most people don't think much of our kids and our community, but that's changing," Shore said.

Melinda Malico, a spokeswoman for the U. S. Department of Education, said the schools were chosen for the grants because of their proposed involvement with the surrounding community.

"It's a more effective way to serve youth," Malico said.

Manuel Real has teamed up with the Mead Valley Community Center and the Riverside County Office of Education to provide the after-school program.

On Thursday, students shuffled eagerly from tutoring classes to enrichment activities. On the stage in the multipurpose room, young girls stomped on the floor as they learned traditional Mexican dances.

Mimicking their instructor, the girls raised their arms, pinching the air beneath their fingers as if they were spreading the skirts of colorful dresses.

Another group of children eagerly waited for the hip-hop dance instructor to arrive.

"My older brother, he already does hip hop" Tony said. "He wants to be the next choreographer for 'N Sync." Tony, 11, said he just wants to catch up with everyone else.

"I like dancing, everyone in my family can dance -- even my mom."

Last year, there was no stage or multipurpose room at Manuel Real. There were no playgrounds or computer labs. There were only portable classrooms housing almost 900 students on a small plot of land.

This year, students and staff moved into a new school on Clark Street near Cajalco Road.

"When we left, we had 875 kids on less than 2 acres," Lizarraga said. "It was challenging, but it established a community."

Now, the school can provide its 943 students with a playground, a multipurpose room, library, computer access, kindergarten area and parent conference rooms.

"We're very blessed," Lizarraga said.

Though teaching in cramped conditions was a challenge, fourth-grade teacher Karen Clarke said the experience has been rewarding.

"I absolutely love the brand-new building," she said. "Teaching at this school even without the building has been the best experience of my teaching career."

Shore said he is looking forward to involving Mead Valley Elementary School with the community.

"We're hoping it will link the community with the school and get the parents more actively involved with the kids," he said. "The more parents that come in, the more they'll see what's going on and buy into the vision of the school -- which is academic achievement."

Reach Tanya Sierra at (909) 656-3339 or tsierra@pe.com