Anytime a parent, school or organization asks us what makes us different than other companies in our field, the same answer always comes to mind first: our awesome staff. Each month we take the time to honor a Coach of the Month and we want to share a few fun facts about November’s pick.

Hector was awarded November coach of the month by a landslide vote by his peers and our senior team. Hector began his KING journey through the Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP). This program provides job-ready 16-24 year-old young adults who are currently not employed or in school, placement into a short-term internship opportunity. Funded through the Mayor’s Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO), the program offers 14 weeks of paid orientation, training and work followed by 9 months of follow-up services and assistance for placement in permanent jobs, training programs and educational opportunities. Hector successfully completed his internship and has been with KING ever since taking on various roles and levels of responsibility including summer camp counselor, after-school leader and basketball coach. In January Hector will continue to grow with KING through the Up2Us Sports Coaches program.

As good a person as he is coach, let’s learn some more about Coach Hector!

What is one word you would use to describe yourself as a child?
A. Easy, adventurous.

If you were to tell one person “Thank You” for helping you become the person you are today, who would it be and why?
A. Also easy, Coach Tracey. He has mentored me over the past year and has taught me how to be a better leader, teammate and coach.

What movie or novel character do you most identify with?
I identify with the character “Zero” from the novel and film Holes. What I find the most interesting about Zero is how he is always underestimated. He has never been to school, but has great mathematical intelligence. I, like Zero, like to prove to people that where you come from doesn’t have to determine where you are going.

Fill in the blank: If you really knew me, you’d know_____

My favorite football team is the New York Jets. I am a very passionate fan of my football team even though sometimes it is not easy being at Jets fan! I practically watched my team lose in every embarrassing way possible week after week. However, I still choose to be loyal and root for them every Sunday. J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!

If you were to start a company from scratch, what values would you build it on?
I believe core values for any business to succeed is solid teamwork and strong leadership. Good communications skills are another value that is very important to satisfy the customers.

What is one memory do you treasure the most?
Going to my very first NBA game with my father! He surprised me with tickets, and it was a game that I will never forget!

What super power would you like to have?
The super power I would like to have is teleportation. I would be able to travel the world in the snap of a finger.

Big congratulations to Coach Hector and stay tuned for next month’s Coach of the Month!

The day has finally arrived. Your lunch box is packed full. Your outfit is ready. Your sunscreen is prepped (thanks mom and dad!). Today is the day that you don’t mind that your alarm clock (do kids still use alarm clocks?) is ringing for the first time since school got out. You have excited butterflies in your stomach anticipating the new friends you will meet and the new experiences you will have. Today is the day. Today is the first day of Kids in the Game SUMMER CAMP!

By design, a day at a summer camp run by Kids in the Game looks a little bit different everyday of the week. The general structure, of course, has consistency and fluidity to ensure that our campers and counselors alike know the general routine of camp. However, we want our campers to wake up every morning with the same excitement they feel on day one of camp as they do on day 27 of camp. To insure this we have made it a priority to put detailed thought into activities, themes, projects, and field-trips.

Here is what a one day at KING Summer Camp looks like:

8:00-9:00 Early dropoff begins with main camp festivities beginning at 9am. The most prepared camper will come with a refillable water bottle, a lunch with extra snacks for throughout the day and a ready-to-go attitude!

9:00-9:15- Camp Rally! This an important time of the day to welcome all the kids and give them a run down of what the day will look like.

9:15-10:30- First sports/movement activity of the day. This section could be tennis, basketball, soccer, baseball… you name it we probably do it. We keep our instructional blocks to small groups so our campers will have fun but also learn the fundamentals of that day’s sport. Our staff includes sport specialists that have the highest knowledge in their particular sport.

10:30-10:45- Snack time! With our campers being active for most of the day, it is key to stay hydrated (water bottles are a MUST!) and fueled up on snacks. We will have a snack shop full of nutritious snacks if you want to send your camper with a couple extra bucks or pack some extras into their lunch box.

10:45-11:45- Each of our camps is located next to a beautiful outdoor park. We get special permits at each location to use these parks to their fullest extent. At this time during the day, we will be playing special, larger grouped activities. These activities will be geared towards the weekly theme.

11:45-12:30- For this time frame, we will split the groups into a couple different stations. This could be arts and crafts, a STEM project, or a specialized movement group. We have specialists working with each of these groups and again the activities will directly correlate to the weekly theme. Let’s think about through the decades theme for a second… the kids will travel back in time and learn different dance movements (sock hop, the twist, etc) and explore decade-old, classic craft activities (flower crowns, pet rocks, making play-dough etc). Our activities in these sections are design to cater to specific age groups, so every camper will get the most out their camp experience.

12:30-1:00 – Lunch! Time to sit back, relax and refuel. All our campsites have refrigerators to store lunches from home.

1:00-1:30 – Camps days are go-go-go so it is important to have a little downtime. Our youngest campers might use this time to nap, older kids to read a book or work with a counselor on some academic work.

1:30-2:30- If you were in the arts group in the morning then it is your time to do STEM or creative movement and vice versa. No need to fret, all campers will get to participate in all planned activities.

2:30-3:30- This will be our second stop for a large group activity. This activity will be different than the morning, but no less fun! We have 100+ games in our pockets, so we promise no kid will get bored playing the same thing over and over again.

3:30-4:00- End of day rally with a special treat to boot! Don’t fret that the day has come to an end. There is always tomorrow for more camp adventures. The best questions we get asked at the end of the day are the “what are we doing tomorrow….Can we do this tomorrow?” type of questions. And we can confidently answer… tomorrow will bring new adventures, new friends and new experiences.

4:30-6:00- For those needing a little extra time to come pick up your camper we do offer extended after care from 4:30-6. This is an additional $15 per day and can be added at an at-need basis.

A couple of extra notes: Like we said, we like to keep everyday a little bit different and this schedule will change here and there to accommodate special trips, activities and projects.

Wednesdays will always be our field trip days. Whether you are a Mets fan or a Yankees fan, don’t worry, we got you covered and go to a game of each. We will also be going to Luna park, museums, and a Liberty basketball game.

This year we are also offering swim lessons. Lessons are an additional $45 per week for a 40-minute lesson. Highly trained swim specific instructors teach our lessons.
Already know how to swim? No problem, we take the 1st grade and up campers to the pool for open swim once a week as well!

We truly believe that communication is key to our success. Camp families will receive weekly communication on how camp is going, what to expect and if there is any special items that your camper need to bring (i.e. White t-shirt for tye-dye, swim suit for lessons, wear your camp t-shirt for field trip etc…)

For more detailed information on our summer camps please visit https://www.kidsinthegame.com/summer-camps/ and let’s all get pumped for the BEST SUMMER EVER WITH KING!

Mount-Carmel Holy Rosary or better known in our office as MCHR is a PreK-3 through 8th grade school in East Harlem. KING currently runs the after-school program at MCHR led by our fearless program manager Tracey Lewis. MCHR is a member of the Partnership School Organization and arguably has the cutest school uniforms of all time. Along with the uniform cred, MCHR has been shining in the after-school game as well. Here are some highlights and shoutouts that you need to know about:

1) Program Highlight:
PreK Chess Club: Yes you read that correctly, at MCHR the PreK kids are better at chess than (more than?) half our staff. Chess club is just one of the extracurricular activities offered at MCHR, others include homework help, STEM projects, and sports activities.

2) Kid Highlight:
Mayalee is a kindergarten student at MCHR. She is an active participant in all after school activities and was an easy choice for KING Kid of the month. Mayalee takes working on her homework very seriously and always asks great questions when she needs help. Her math and reading skills have improved tremendously because of her eagerness to learn. Keep up the great work Mayalee, we love seeing that smile everyday at MCHR!

Scarlet is a Pre-K student at MCHR. A few words her coaches use to describe her are: listener, hard worker, compassionate and kind friend… those are some awesome words! She demonstrates genuine love and kindness to everyone whom she interacts. We are so grateful that we get to work with Scarlet and watch her grow up as a Kid in the Game. You are a role model Scarlet!

3) Staff Highlight:
This Staff Rocks! Our staff at MCHR is a wonderful group of coaches that love spending a part of their day at this school. Laughter and learning fill the air between structured dance routines, art projects, and sports games. The bond between our coaches and the after-school students at MCHR is undeniably strong and we know that our coaches gain just as much from the students as they do from yes. We are very grateful for the partnership with MCHR. Thank you coaches for all your hard work!

4) UNICEF Kid Power Update:
In January we started the UNICEF Kid Power Training Program with MCHR 4th-8th graders in the after-school program.(need a reminder of what this is? Click here!) Since starting the program the kids at MCHR have taken over 197,000 steps, earned over 3,800 power points, and donated 382 food packets to underdeveloped countries. Let’s keep cheering them on… keep on stepping, skipping, running, and playing!

What if all it took to make a positive impact in the world was to simply walk, play and be a kid?

Thanks to the Jr. NBA, Kids in the Game has been selected to participate in UNICEF’s Kid Power Training program and do just that. Starting this week, 4th through 8th graders in our Mount Carmel Holy Rosary (MCHR) after-school program will be participating in the program that translates steps taken into philanthropic efforts. The Training Program is a kids-helping-kids initiative that “promotes both fitness and global citizenship”.

Each student will receive a Kid Power band that will track their movement and count their steps. With every 2,400 steps the student takes they will receive a Kid Power Point. A cumulation of 10 points earns a therapeutic food packet donation. These packets contain a nutrient-rich peanut paste specifically designed for kids in malnourished communities. UNICEF has donated to over 190 countries and will determine where the packets go by which communities need it the most.

Not only will this program increase our kid’s physical fitness awareness but it will also test their responsibility skills. The kids will be wearing the bands throughout the day and will take them home each evening. They are responsible for their own band and keeping it in tip-top shape. Our staff will collect the bands for each weekend to recharge and sync all results on the program tablet.

“I was amazed by the infectious humanitarianism my kids displayed right after I introduced the Kid Power Band mission. My kids are informed and ready to be active to help as many kids as possible”, said Tracey Lewis, Kids in the Game, MCHR After-School Director.

And because everyone loves a good ol’ fashioned contest, we have decided to add a classic grade versus grade competition to help those legs keep stepping. 4th grade will be competing against 5th and the middle school 6th, 7th and 8th grades will try to outstep each other. Along with the kids getting Power Bands, teachers and Kids in the Game staff will also be joining in the fun and stepping along with the kids. Their steps will count towards their team totals as well as gaining overall power points.

We at Kids in the Game feel very fortunate to be a part of this program. Bringing social awareness and empowerment to our kids and staff is a core value we hold. It is an honor to be taking this step (pun intended!) with UNICEF to end malnourishment around the world.

As we come to a close in 2016, we are filled with gratitude to look back at a year filled with impact, growth, and a sense of purpose. Reading through some of our year end thoughts from 2015, it is humbling to think about the progress we’ve made towards our goals. At the same time, it is with anxious excitement that we look ahead toward the coming year. Our city and youth face enormous challenges going into 2017 – childhood obesity, a lack of nutrition education, distrust between our youth and law enforcement, neighborhoods with high poverty and violence, a need for technology skills to help prepare children for new types of jobs – all individually unique and audacious challenges to fight. KING strives to offer our youth a group of mentors, aka our coaches, to help support them as they navigate these challenges in life. Learning healthy habits, conflict resolution, life skills, the importance of positivity and an active lifestyle – these are the values we focus on. If we offer positive role models and use sports as a medium to teach, we feel children can grow up to navigate through the challenges ahead.

Humble brag time?! A few highlights from our year!

1. 1. The schools we serve and our team has doubled in size, reaching more than 15,000 children with 60+ KING coaches across NYC. How did we do it? A focus on our culture as a team, our training program, and always striving to go above and beyond for our schools and families.
2. 2.Outside of school hours, we’ve started our first travel teams in both basketball (King Hoops) and volleyball (King Spikes). Our Manhattan and Brooklyn based teams put KING on their jerseys for the first time in 2016 and competed in tri-state area tournaments. We’re proud of our teams’ focus on fundamentals, work ethic, and commitment they have made to their teammates. Way to go Coach Paul and Coach Kat for leading these new programs.
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69. 3. KING’s Recess SPORT program has seen growth and continued improvements in 2016, with additions of more personalized recess games for each of our schools across the city. During recess we’ve developed a Jr. Coach Program, which has shaped a strong sense of mentorship and peer mediation within the school community. Teaching students about the importance of fair play, positivity, and inclusion during the short recess period is something the Jr. Coaches (usually 5^th graders) have taken seriously. We’re proud to be coaching the leaders of the next generation!
71. 4. Our team coached em’ up at the middle school level, taking over coaching responsibilities for schools looking to get teams off the ground, including Blessed Sacrament (basketball), BASIS Independent (volleyball), and Leman Manhattan (basketball, soccer, track).
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89. 5. We continued to grow our partnership with Up2Us Sports, adding 3 Coach Across America coaches and 2 Americorps VISTA members (vs 1 of each last year). Our CAA coaches attended trainings in Boston and Miami, continuing to develop as leaders. Our Americorps VISTA from 2016 also has recently joined our team full-time to lead our Marketing & Communications efforts (shout-out to Sheryl!)
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109. 6. We opened our 3^rd summer camp location in Riverdale, Bronx! We’re proud to be part of the community and have continued to grow programming during the school year as well. We’re looking forward to our second summer uptown this June.
111. 7. We expanded our presence in Brooklyn, adding a second small office in Gowanus. We’ve partnered with new schools in neighborhoods including Bensonhurst, Carroll Gardens, and Red Hook, and have recently announced our 4^th summer camp location in Park Slope with Saint Saviour HS.
113. 8. We’re proud of the continued progress that the Partnership Schools (6 formerly struggling Catholic schools) have made and our team’s support in their mission. We ran sports clinics in basketball, soccer, and volleyball, took over a 150+ person after-school program at Mount Carmel Holy Rosary, ran an 8^th grade event to help the kids build friendships before high-school, and ran a 600-person field day for their schools to build relationships through some healthy competition.
115. 9. A boring BIG deal… our summer camps are now American Camp Association accredited! Our team knows the struggle this took to prep for and finish, and our 600+ summer camp families can rest assured that we are meeting industry best practices. You’ll find a nice logo stamp on our marketing materials this year!
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135. 10. We recently formed another entity within our organization, called KING Kids, which will focus on offering more of our programs to schools and families that lack financial resources. Our social mission strives to reach all children, regardless of background, and through fundraising goals and grant opportunities we hope to continue our progress here through the KING Kids programming.
137. 11. Did you notice our new website? We embrace some old-school values at times, but we don’t want our technology to be an area of it. Looking ahead, we hope to help schools solve technology problems they face too when it comes to after-school programs, teams, and teaching technology and coding skills to those who would rather play sports.
139. 12. In 2016, the Dept. of Education’s CHAMPS Middle School program contracted us to train dozens of their basketball coaches across Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. We’re looking forward to expanding our relationship with CHAMPS, as we see a huge value in embedding positive coaching principles in others across the city.
141. 13. Finally, our team continues to grow from within. We had summer camp staff join us full-time in the fall (Cara & Tracey!), part-time coaches become coordinators (Chondite & Darren!), and numerous others get promoted internally to help manage the different areas within KING. Congrats to all of them for their growth!
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We’re proud of our progress we’ve made in 2016 and can’t wait to get started on our goals for 2017. Huge thank you to all our schools, families, partners, friends, and coaches that make what we do so rewarding. Happy New Year!

Kids in the Game (KING) is proud to announce the start of youth soccer clinics with Partnership Schools! Following the volleyball and basketball KING and Partnership Schools series, soccer clinics will begin on Saturday, April 16th.

The network-wide program will take place at Rainey Park, on Park Street and Intervale Avenue, in the Bronx. Boys and girls in 3rd through 8th grade can join the 10:00am to 11:30am session.

Soccer clinics will run for five weeks and focus on teaching and improving skills such as dribbling, passing, receiving and shooting.

Register online at www.kidsinthegame.com/registration and select “Bronx – Saturday Soccer Clinics”

A True ‘Partnership’

In addition to the upcoming soccer clinics, KING is also planning a couple of other special events for the Partnership network:

8th Grade Transition Orientation: KING is organizing a send-off event for the graduating 8th graders in the Partnership Schools network. Students from all six schools within the network will have the chance to connect and meet others that will be attending similar high schools. Students will participate in group activities and get acquainted through organized games. The event will be held on May 23rd at Our Lady Queen of Angels.

Field Day: Partnership Schools and KING will hold a network-wide Field Day on June 13th! KING coaches will run outdoor games and competitions for 632 students during the day-long event held at Randall’s Island.