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!

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!

Kids in the Game (KING) has partnered with St. Margaret of Cortona School, 452 W. 260th Street, to create our new summer camp in Riverdale, Bronx.

The Riverdale, Bronx camp is located near Van Cortlandt Park and will have a variety of activities including field trips, swimming, sports, fitness games, dance and more.

Click here to see wha our summer camps offer!

The camp is available for boys and girls entering Pre-K4 to 8th grade in Fall 2016, and will run for 9 weeks, beginning June 20th until August 19th. See below for details on before-care and after-care options.

The rate for the Riverdale location summer camp is $325 per week. Family discount is available.

To register, to go www.kidsinthegame.com/registration