It isn’t easy to summarize a year at Kids in the Game – there are so many small victories that go unseen with the children we work with. Measuring confidence, friendships, perseverance, and just plain fun are not always possible. However, we close out 2017 knowing that those are the wins that we are most proud of. Our organization’s purpose is to change the way New York City children are growing up and this year was a huge step towards reaching our goals. Reading through our 2015 and 2016 reviews, we continue to make tremendous progress and find ourselves more and more excited about what is yet to come. Here are some of the highlights from the year and what you can expect to see from KING in 2018:

1. We continue to expand and serve more schools and families across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx – we worked with over 16,000 children this year across summer camps, school programming, and our travel teams. Our team has approached ~100 talented coaches, yet we still feel like a family in our approach.

2. We had our best summer yet! Our 4 summer camps served ~700 families from June to August as we continued to add new and creative programming for the kids. We had an emphasis on improving our swimming program, adding lessons and better facilities. There was also more interaction between our camps, as we had days that our older camps went to other sites to meet new friends and have some healthy competition. We had fun building out our theme weeks (ie Camp Olympics, Through the Decades, Spirit Week, Superhero Week, etc) and have some creative ideas for 2018 in the works. Our newest location was opened in Park Slope, and look forward to announcing our 5th location for 2018 here shortly!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvGsjrPjuiI

3. Although we have a team full of active, energetic, sports lovers, we also consciously opened our mind in 2017 to how technology can enhance what we do. We grew our partnership with CodingKidz, providing after-school and summer camp programs in Robotics, Coding, and Video Game Design, as well as made November ‘Sports Technology’ month across all our schools. Our kids collectively walked to Australia in November (measured by our Fitbits), we had SportsTechie cover our Virtual Reality event at Corpus Christi School, and started meeting as a team to talk about other technology and innovation that will help engage more children and enhance our sports programs. It certainly won’t replace what we do at the core, but always looking for ways to improve!

4. Our travel teams continued to make us oh so proud. KING Hoops had 5 teams playing this fall between middle school and high school, with kids coming from many of our schools and communities we work in throughout the year. We won our first tournament this year in Connecticut, and almost all age groups made tournament runs more regularly. Winning isn’t everything, but we’re a competitive group! KING Spikes, our volleyball program, continued to grow and is primed for a big year in 2018. We launched KING Speed, our track and field program, led by Suzie Clinchy who joined our team this year. We are so proud of the programs we’ve run in schools (PS 188M, Blessed Sacrament, Rebecca School, Leman Manhattan) and of our kids that are starting to run in competitive meets around the city. We take a lot of pride in wearing KING on our jersey and the way our players represent us and continue to grow.

5. Furthering our mission to reach all children in NYC, our non-profit KING Kids has made tremendous progress in bridging the opportunity gap. In our first full year of operation, we were humbled by the amount of support and empathy people have for making sure all schools and families have access to positive coaches and opportunities to play sports. We built a junior board of talented young professionals that have helped us drive the movement and fundraise for scholarships and new programming. Our team hosted our first large fundraising event, a 3 on 3 tournament at St Francis, with over 20 teams. We ran our first corporate volunteer day with VML Foundation, donating sports equipment to 3 public schools across Harlem and the Bronx. We’ve added life skills workshops and academic support opportunities for all our travel teams. We built a website. Tons of good work, and the best part is that we are just getting started! So much to do in 2018 in our community and we appreciate everyone’s willingness to help our cause!

6. Not always apparent to our families or schools, but we have turned inward to make staff development and training a top priority as an organization. Both personal and professional development is a big part of working at KING, which ultimately helps us grow together and run better and better programs in the community. That will continue to be the case in 2018!

Our team continues to believe in the power of sports and positive coaching to help kids grow. Although not something we typically share with our following, our internal core values are what continues to drive our decision making and what we truly believe in while we work with youth. We wanted to share them with you below to give you some insight into what we are all about and our team’s daily focus as we continue strengthening our programs.

1. Radiate positivity and a family spirit
2. Lead by example through healthy habits
3. Embrace individual strengths and diverse backgrounds
4. Present solutions, not problems
5. Be resourceful and creative – do more with less
6. Constant pursuit of personal growth and learning
7. See the big picture
8. Be a world-class communicator
9. Work as a team, play as a team, grow as a team
10. Strive to always be the best part of our kids’ day

Thank you to everyone that has made 2017 such a year to remember. The support we get from principals, parents, coaches, partners, friends, and family is what keeps us energized and healthy. More to come from KING!

The streets may be lined with holiday cheer and snow is falling outside our windows but that isn’t stopping our team from dreaming about summer camp. Today is the big day and registration is officially open for Summer 2018. Last year’s camp season was one for the books with stories we are still reliving. We know that 2018 will be even better as we welcome new and past campers.

To celebrate registration opening and to take all of your minds off the cold we wanted to share just 5 of the many reasons why you and your kids will love our summer camps.

1. There is something for everyone. Whether your child is all about sports, art or STEM, we have inclusive activities for all of them. KING Summer Camp prides itself on providing a well-rounded experience that not only caters to kids’ current likes but also expands their minds to new activities. It would take all day to name every activity that our campers participate in but to name a few:

Sports: Basketball, tennis, wiffle ball, flag football, soccer, and dozens of other unique KING games that will be the talk of the dinner table each night.
Arts and Crafts: We offer age specific projects ranging from tye-dye to bracelet making and beyond.
STEM: campers have the opportunity to learn computer coding, test their chemistry skills making play dough and slime and use their creativity in project design.

2. The opportunity to explore New York City! Each week our campers have the opportunity to go on unique field trips all over New York City. Last year our campers cheered on the Mets and the Yankees, rode the rides at Coney Island and put their scientist hats on at the Hall of Science. This year we will be bringing back field trip favorites and adding new and exciting trips for our campers to enjoy.

3. Our staff rocks! Every time someone asks us what makes our camp different we always say it is our awesome staff! We are unique to other camps because we run programs year around and our coaches work with kids throughout the year, not just in the summer. Our staff includes hundreds of wonderful coaches that are certified teachers, former college athletes, full-time KING staff and are all dedicated to making sure that all campers have the best time ever.

4. Parents, this one is for you: we are super affordable! A quick Google search will tell you that we are well below our competitors. We are dedicated to keeping our prices affordable to give all kids the opportunity to experience the joys of summer camp. We are also offering early bird specials to make camp even more affordable. Sign up before March 1st and enjoy $50 off per week! We also offer pay-in-full and sibling discounts.

5. Swimming! A highlight of last summer was the addition of swim lessons. We are bringing them back this year and are very excited to continue to promote and teach safe swimming. Campers last year not only improved their swimming ability but also had a ton of fun doing so. Lessons are taught in a group setting by professional instructors and are catered to the groups’ existing ability. Lessons are an additional $50 per week.

To be honest, choosing only 5 reasons was tough because there are so many reasons to love KING Summer Camp! Find out more by visiting our website or shooting an email to info@kidsinthegame.com See you this summer!

Take a moment and look out your nearest window. What do you see? I see: dreary weather, people bundled head to toe and a few too many dogs wearing sweaters. It has me day dreaming of Mets games, swimming pools, field trips to the zoo and most of all Kids in the Game Summer Camp!

Good news! Registration is now open! See what we did there?

This year, we have a new sign-up portal, UltraCamp, accessible straight from our website, to make your camp season a little easier. Manage your campers’ schedule here, payments, and forms here this year. Registration is now open and you will receive a discounted rate ($50 off per week) if you sign up before February 1st! Who doesn’t love discounts?! And if that isn’t enough, we have more great news this year…here are some New York Times worthy highlights we’d like to share:

1) POOL PARTY! This summer we are taking swimming to a whole new level and offering swim lessons! Our Kids in the Game team is full of ex-collegiate swimmers, swim instructors, lifeguards, and former aquatics managers, so it only makes sense to put them to work and teach some awesome lessons! Being able to swim is an important life skill and we are excited to now be offering it to our camp families. You will be able to sign up for lessons while registering for camp online.

2) Now if we were talking in Boy/Girl Scouts terms this next news is definitely badge worthy… we are now officially American Camp Association accredited! What does that mean? It means you can be rest assured that Kids in the Game is meeting the highest summer camp standards and practices. As of now there will be no badges on our uniforms (doesn’t mean I’m not working on it!), but there will be a snazzy new accreditation logo marking our camp as one of the best in the business. If you’ve done your research, you know the crazy prices that many camps charge.  We pride ourselves on continuing to offer an affordable summer camp with an accredited team of mentors for your children.

3) *NO SLEEP TIL BROOKLYN! Or at least we didn’t sleep until we got our fourth camp location in Brooklyn! We are proud to be introducing our newest camp location in Park Slope at Saint Saviour High School! We are excited to offer this newest location and continue to build great relationships within the Brooklyn community.

*disclaimer: we promise full days of activity for your kids so they will definitely want to come home for a full night of sleep after a camp day in Brooklyn!

Even though we are excited to share all this great and latest news with you we are also excited to say a “day in the life” of a KING camper will still be chalk full of our classic camp activities. Sports games, friends, field trips, arts and crafts, and memories are just a few of our favorite things about camp.

Kids in the Game is so excited to welcome families old and new to 2017 summer camp at all four of our locations (Upper West, Inwood, Riverdale, Park Slope). We look forward to spending the summer with you and your kids!

When asked to describe the Bronx in three words Tracey Lewis, Kids in the Game Program Coordinator, thought for a couple minutes before saying, “needs more mentors”. From a non-New Yorker perspective, this answer didn’t surprise me. There is no lack in commentary of the “rough, lack of funding, lack of opportunity” side of New York’s most Northern borough. Unfortunately, often times we only hear that side of the story. Tracey is on a mission to write and tell another Bronx story.

Tracey was born and raised in the Bronx and is a The Bronx Wood School elementary school alum. He is currently leading Kids in the Game’s Bronx outreach program, traveling to elementary schools across the borough, educating principals on the Kids in the Game mission. For Tracey, giving kids the opportunity to be surrounded by positive influences is important; but furthermore, giving kids someone they can relate to in a positive way is vital. For that mission, Tracey is the gold standard.

From growing up in the Bronx, Tracey moved upstate to play point guard at Utica College. Although he described Utica as a “culture shock”, Tracey excelled both on the basketball court and in the classroom. He graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice and was accepted to the School Counseling Graduate program at Mercy College. To not stop there, Tracey was also a graduate assistant basketball coach at Mercy and has interned with the New York City Police Department. Oh and did I mention he also currently coaches the Cardinal Hayes High School basketball team?

To say he is a positive mentor is an understatement and that does not even include his roles with Kids in the Game. He currently is the After-School Program Director at Mount Carmel Holy Rosary, an elementary school within the Partnership Schools system. The Partnership Schools consists of six Catholic schools that aim to provide outstanding educations to low-income students. Working with this population Tracey has provided further structure and mentorship to these growing kids.

And because Kids in the Game nor Tracey take the summer off, you can find Tracey busy at our Inwood Summer Camp as the Assistant Director or planning drills for a KING Hoops practice.

He might not have a favorite sports team, restaurant, movie, TV show or any other basic questions I asked him, but what he does have is a passion for kids and sports. He told me that his quote “best day ever” is a day where all he does is coach kids and nothing else. Now I don’t have kids, but if I did, I can tell you, I would be first in line to have Coach Tracey be their coach, mentor, and friend.

With summer right around the corner, everyone’s got camp on the mind. Here’s what parents are saying about our summer camps.

Didi N. – 5 Stars on Yelp

“This is an awesome summer camp which encourages your kids to be active and fit. Their philosophy is centered around getting kids involved in sports and physical fitness. I am a true believer of kids being active and long term effects. The staff is caring and enjoy working with kids. Children get to try different sports and learn basics of teamwork and effort. Both of my daughters, 4 and 6 participated last year and can’t wait to go back this year! It is also affordable by NYC standards. This gem will not remain hidden for long!!”

Amanda S. – 5 Stars on Google

“The Summer camp on the UWS was amazing! The counselors are engaged and work hard to make it fun for the kids. All the counselors learned all the kids names even if they weren’t in their group so it felt like a community which makes the kids feel special and I think makes it safer for the kids especially on field trip days. There are lots of activities including sports, games and even a popsicle break on a hot day. My daughter was up early every morning & couldn’t wait to start (we arrived before the staff some days) and she insisted on staying in the after care because it was so fun. The field trips to major league baseball games and museums were just the icing on the cake. I can’t recommend this highly enough for high energy and athletic kids it’s a dream come true.”

Jessica L. – 5 Stars on Facebook

“We signed up our 4-year-old for one week last summer, and she loved it so much that we promptly signed her up for two more weeks. The kids played sports and games outside everyday, and there were indoor activities like arts and crafts, and special activities like tap dance. It was what we wished school could be like. The coaches are very sweet with the kids and made sure their water bottles were always filled up and that they brought them when they went to the park. One thing that really surprised me was how kind an accommodating the staff were – it was clear they really seemed to want to make things easy on the families. They had a sign-in sheet and sign-out sheet for drop off and pick-up, and every day ended with a Popsicle. One special thing to note for prospective parents of campers: my kid was wiped out every day… Which was awesome and made an early bedtime a breeze and my summer that much more enjoyable!”

Elida M. – 5 Stars on Yelp

“Really good program, professional staff. All sweet, kind but at the same time firm. My daughter participated on their summer camp last year – she can’t hardly wait for the summer 2016.”

Thor W. – 5 Stars on Facebook

“Kids in the Game has been great for my 4 yr old daughter, who has some medical issues. The staff is pleasant to work with and super helpful in navigating particular needs. Also, it’s the most affordable camp in the neighborhood, which means a lot! We’re looking forward to another great summer!”

Tell us about your experience with Kids in the Game!

If you already signed up for camp, share the news with your friends. If you haven’t registered for camp this summer, we still have openings in our Upper West  Side, Inwood and Riverdale locations. Register at: www.kidsinthegame.com/registration

*All reviews have been sourced from public Yelp, Google and Facebook pages.

Kids in the Game (KinG) has partnered with Upper West Side’s School of the Blessed Sacrament and Inwood’s Good Shepherd School to announce our Upper West Side summer camps. The camps are available for boys and girls entering Pre-K4 to 8th grade in Fall 2016, and will run for 8 weeks starting June 27th until August 19th.  The campers are divided into small, age-appropriate groups for daily activities. Campers will also participate in larger group games and special events throughout the day. Camp counselors include current and former college athletes, school teachers, professional dancers, and fitness coaches.

Sports, Dance, Arts & Crafts, Academics & Field Trips!
Located steps away from Central Park and Inwood Park, the Kids in the Game Summer Camps spend a majority of their time outdoors.  The camps specialize in sports, music, and arts & crafts.  Campers will be instructed in baseball/softball, basketball, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and more.

Boys and girls will also participate in Zumba Kids, a high-energy class with specially choreographed, kid-friendly routines. Zumba Kids offers diverse styles of cultural dances such as hip-hop, reggaeton, cumbia, salsa and rock n’ roll. In our arts & crafts programs, campers will explore their imaginations and create projects to take home at the end of the day. We also incorporate academic classes that will improve reading, writing and math skills.

Additionally, Kids in the Game campers travel offsite to weekly field trips including Yankees and Mets Games,  the Bronx Zoo and area museums!  Along with the daily games and activities, the Kids in the Game camps holds special theme-based activities such as a Fourth of July Celebration, a Hawaiian Luau, Crazy Hat Day, and a week long Camp Olympics.

The early-bird rate for the Upper West Side summer camp location is $375 per week, and the Inwood camp location is $235 per week. Both camps offer family discounts. Limited space is available and the early-bird rates are valid until February 1st!

The Kids in the Game coaches derive from varied backgrounds and experiences in sports and fitness. Our diversity allows us to help shape our programs to encourage every individual to succeed. We take great pride in the positive influence our team members have on the community. Therefore, I’m excited to announce the start of Staff Spotlights – a series introducing our coaches to you!

To kick off the series, I sat down with Program Manager Wilson Rose.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

“I’m from a small town in Central New York called Earlville.  Growing up I played a lot of basketball and being around the game has always been a passion of mine.  I’ve also always enjoyed working with and being around kids. My mom is a school psychologist in the school district that I grew up in so I was always hanging around and fascinated by school culture.  Working in such a collaborative environment was always appealing to me.  I knew going into college that I wanted to major in developmental psychology. In college, I began interning and working at the Mt. Hope Family Center, which is a part of the University of Rochester’s psychology department.  I gained a lot of good-hands on experience in their therapeutic after-school program as well as other research projects including a research based summer camp.  After graduating, I was hired full-time to coordinate the therapeutic after-school program and eventually moved into a coordinator role of various developmental research grants.”

How did you get involved with Kids in the Game?

“Matt Murphy, Co-Founder of Kids in the Game, has been a friend of mine for a long time – we played basketball in college together and he’s always kept me up to date with everything going on with Kids in the Game.  It wasn’t until recently though that I saw myself being a part of it.  It was clear that I could combine all of my interests and strengths into one position by joining the KinG team.  I’m able to spend time with kids in a fun and interactive environment while working with school administrations, personnel and my peers who all share the same passions.”

What programs are you involved in currently?

“As the Program Manager, I have a hand in all of our programs.  Currently, I’m doing a lot of work on our curriculum and lesson planning.  For our recess programs, I’m putting together the games calendars for November and beyond. For the after-school programs>, I’m getting together a series of lesson plans for different sports so our coaches can feel as prepared as possible going into their programs. Summer camp is always on my mind!  As Camp Director at our Inwood location last year, I discovered the tools necessary to make the camp experience the best it can be. That goes hand-in-hand with our other “camp-like” activities –Kids Night Out & our Upper West Side Winter Break Camp. They will be run similarly to summer camp as multi-activity programs that offer a wide variety of activities and well-balanced fun.

One of the best parts of my job is that I get to coach as well.  Currently I’m coaching physical education at the AltSchool in Brooklyn Heights. Being there 3 days a week, I’ve gotten to know the kids and staff very well. I know what each child can do well and what they will or won’t respond to. It’s great to be able to adapt the class to the kids that are in it.  Understanding where each child is developmentally can be very useful for any coach or teacher. In addition to AltSchool, I’m coaching youth basketball clinics and a middle school team on the Upper West Side.”

Thanks, Wilson! Now for some miscellaneous questions to learn more about you…

What’s your favorite sport?

“Basketball”

What’s your favorite team?

“Syracuse Orange (I’m a bigger fan of college basketball than the NBA.  I’ll watch any college basketball game that’s on.  The NBA season is too long and that takes away from the competitive nature and importance of each game, in my opinion.)”

What’s something interesting about you that we don’t already know?

“I built my bike from scratch out of miscellaneous parts.”

Do you have a favorite quote or saying?

“’It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.’ – Frederick Douglass”

If you could have lunch with any famous person, who would it be?

“Kurt Vonnegut”

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Wilson Rose is the Program Manager for Kids in the Game and contributes his efforts to each of the KinG programs: after-school, summer camp, recess, Kid’s Night Out and Winter Break Camp. Wilson also currently coaches physical education in Brooklyn. To connect with Wilson, you can reach him at Wilson@kidsinthegame.com.

We are proud to announce that our Director of Performing Arts, Frances Niduaza-Murphy, has joined the New York Choral Society (NYCS) for the 2015-2016 year. NYCS is made up of 175 members and sought after guest artists throughout New York City.

Being in its 56th season, the NYCS will perform with tenor Andrea Bocelli on December 9th at the Madison Square Garden. Upcoming shows include “Christmas Around New York” to be performed on December 20th at the David Geffen Hall, formerly Alice Tully Hall, in Lincoln Center as well as famous concert halls in Staten Island and the Bronx throughout the month. On February 5, 2016, the NYCS will perform Arvo Pärt’s 1985 Te Deum and Beethoven’s Mass in C op. 86. Additionally, on May 10, 2016, Music Director David Hayes will lead the choir in Georg Friedrich Handel’s oratorio Israel in Egypt. Both programs will be held at Carnegie Hall.



Also as a part of the NY Choral Chamber Singers, Frances performs in a smaller ensemble of 35-50 singers made up of members from the larger NYCS group. The ensemble will perform music of Claude Debussy, Eric Esenvalds and Jonathan Dove on March 18, 2016.

As a classical musician, Frances is trained in music education as well as music performance in piano and voice. As Director of Performing Arts of Kids in the Game (KinG), Frances is able to share her passion for music with her students. She began an after-school piano class at P.S. 75 Emily Dickinson with 12 students. These students had the opportunity to perform 1-2 piano pieces in recitals held twice within the year – once in December, performing on a keyboard, and in June, on a grand piano. The success of the program has caused enrollment to double for this school year. Frances is also an integral part of the KinG dance program. She is certified in Zumba Basic I, Zumba Kids and Zumba Kids Jr. Since 2013, she has been teaching Zumba and Step for after-school programs in parochial and public schools around New York City. During summer months, Frances heads up the arts & crafts, music and dance curriculum at the Kids in the Game summer camp locations in Inwood and Upper West Side.



For the past year, Frances has been singing soprano with the Our Savior’s Atonement (OSA) Church Choir and the Cornerstone Chorale, both based in Washington Heights. Her involvement with opera singing includes being a cover artist for the Cantanti Project II, “Hits and Hidden Gems of Mozart and Massenet.” She is invited to be a part of the Georg Friedrich Haendel’s Alcina in February 2016 for Cantanti’s Project VII.

The Kids in the Game team is excited to have Frances on board contributing to the continuous growth of the dance and music programs.

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Frances Niduaza-Murphy is the Director of Performing Arts of Kids in the Game and a certified teacher in physical education, health and music. Frances earned her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Collaborative Piano. To connect with Frances, you can reach her at Frances@kidsinthegame.com.