What: Jr. NBA Skills Challenge
Who: Boys and Girls, age 13 and under
Where: Leman Manhattan – 41 Broad St. 9th Floor
Cost: FREE
Sign-up: Email Paul@kidsinthegame.com or come to event 30 minutes prior to start

Do you have the moves like Steph Curry? Can you handle the ball like Maya Moore? Good. Come show us! KING Hoops is excited to host their Jr. NBA Skills Challenge Event February 17th at The Franciscan Community Center. The event will take place from 1:30pm to 3:00pm and is open to boys and girls 13 years and younger. Oh, and did I mention it was free? Yes, free! Boys and girls will compete is separate divisions (14U and 12U) and showcase their ball handling and shooting skills.

To see the official rules click here

From this local competition the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners will advance to the regional competition with a chance to advance to the national competition in June.

Finalists for the national competition win an all-expense paid trip to New York City, receive gift bags, attend special events, interact with NBA/WNBA/D-League Players, Legends, & Draftees, and attend the 2017 NBA Draft.

Questions? Email KING Hoops Basketball Director at Paul@kidsinthegame.com

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!

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!

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) is participating in May’s National Physical Fitness and Sports month! This month is meant to spread awareness of the many benefits of being physically active. Frequent exercise can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and some types of cancer. Daily movement can include activities such as participating in team sports, dancing or simply taking the stairs instead of using the elevator.

KING coaches and kids stretch before working out on the Upper West Side.

To help spread awareness, KING is conducting a month long Fitness Challenge! This challenge consists of a variety of exercises that will get children (and adults) on their feet. The goal of the challenge is to motivate students to beat their own records in fitness elements including planks, push-ups, and lane slides, with the means to develop speed, endurance, flexibility, agility and strength. KING coaches are implementing the challenge during physical education, recess and after-school programs throughout the month. 

Wilson Rose, KING’s Program Manager, notes, “Challenging children to improve on even the smallest of tasks, such as push-ups or planks, helps to boost self-confidence.”

Coach Ashley encouraging the kids at our Washington Heights after-school program.

Students that are the Overall-Leaders and Most-Improved in their programs win exciting prizes!

Fitness Challenge winners in Lower Manhattan.

We’re encouraging all of our schools and families to get involved in the challenge! Here’s how:

Focus on 2 or 3 specific fitness activities each day (push-ups, sit-ups, jogging, planks, squats, etc. Track these measurements each week from now until June to see how much you can improve. Send us your results and we’ll send you a KING water bottle or t-shirt for being part of the challenge! (Don’t worry, we won’t post your results for the world to see.)Wishing all of you a healthy and active May from Kids in the Game!

Be sure to also follow our social media pages for updates and daily exercises: Twitter: @KidsintheGameNYC, Instagram: @kidsinthegamenyc, Facebook: Kids in the Game.

We’re excited to announce our Spring Semester basketball programs! Clinics will include skill development, competitive drills, and games.

School of the Blessed Sacrament (147 W. 70th Street, New York, NY 10023)

Saturdays, March 12th – April 30th (7 weeks, no basketball on March 26th)

10:00am-10:50am – Pre-K to 1st Grade

11:00am-11:50am – 2nd Grade to 4th Grade

Lower Manhattan Basketball

Leman Manhattan Preparatory School (25 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10004

Saturdays, March 5th – April 30th (8 weeks, no basketball on March 26th)

9:30am-10:15am – Pre-K to 1st Grade

10:00am-12:00pm – 4th Grade to 8th Grade

East Harlem Basketball

Our Lady Queen of Angels (229 E. 112th Street, New York, NY 10029)
Sundays, March 13th – May 1st (7 weeks, no basketball on March 27th)
12:00pm-1:30pm – Girls 4th to 8th Grade
1:30pm-3:00pm – Boys 4th to 8th Grade

Register online at www.kidsinthegame.com/registration

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!

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.

—

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.