Can we all just stop for a moment and discuss that it is March already? MARCH. Where did winter go? As we enter into the warmer months one thing is on our mind: Swimming. We are trading in our snow boots for bathing suits and getting ready to jump in. Swimming is a summertime staple and has always been a big part of KING Summer Camps but this year we are upping the ante and offering swim lessons for the first time. This news inspired us to share some Do’s and Don’ts of swim lessons and what you can expect from KING swim lessons (hint: it’s the do’s!).

Don’t: Use floaties. Yes, they are cute and probably have your child’s favorite Disney character printed on them, but don’t be tricked. A child floating with blow up floaties does not equate to being able to swim. The floaties actually make the child bob up and down vertically and forces the child to kick with improper form. This creates a habit that is very hard to break in swim lessons.

Do: Be aware of the swim environment. If the lessons are outdoors sunscreen is a must. If the lessons are indoors, ask what type of pool are they going to be in. A typical competition pool is kept around 80 degrees. For younger swimmers this temperature can be chilly and can deter them from having a productive lesson (picture shivering kids sitting on the edge of the pool). Rashguards and thin swimmer wetsuits can be awesome solutions for youngsters that tend to get cold. Be aware that cotton t-shirts or additional clothing will not aide in keeping the swimmer warm and will be detrimental to swim progress.

Do: Find balance between age and ability for swim groups. Swim lessons are a great place to make friends but swimming ability/confidence does not correlate with age in the same way that other land sports do. This isn’t to say you want to group a 5 year old “future Michael Phelps” with 12 year olds, as you still want to be sensitive to social and emotional factors. However, a 6-year-old could be jumping in and ready to rock in roll, whereas a 10-year-old could be digging their fingernails into the instructor’s arm out of complete fear of the water. Finding the balance between ability and social factors is key from successful group lessons. If your lesson provider isn’t doing a pre-lesson swim test, consider it a red flag.

Don’t: Assume your child will be the “Future Michael Phelps after 1 lesson. There are a million and two factors that go into the learn-to-swim process. Each child will learn at different speeds and that is okay. Celebrate the small victories, such as the first time your child floats on their back, or the first time they dunk their whole face under the water. Not every child will be a competitive swimmer, but it is our hope every child will be a safe swimmer.

Do: Bring goggles to lessons! 1) Simply, chlorine is not the most pleasant thing for eyes! 2) Many good swim instructors will communicate through hand gestures while the swimmer’s face is under water. We want the child to be able to see that communication. 3) Goggles often raise the confidence levels of the child. Similar to a cool new pair of basketball shoes, goggles will make the child want to “act the part” and gets them ready to rock the lesson.

Don’t: Take for granted the life skill that swimming is. Swimming is a sport that can be enjoyed at all ages. Learning to be a safe swimmer will build confidence in both the parent and the child when going to the beach, taking a boat ride, jumping off that diving board. Basically, everyone should learn to swim!

For more information on all Kids in the Game programing check out our website or email info@kidsinthegame.com

Valentine’s Day is the time to reflect on all the things we love in life. At Kids in the Game, our love for sports is pretty darn high on that list. Between summer camps, sports clinics, travel teams and school programs, we feel super lucky to be immersed in sports on a daily basis. To celebrate today’s day of love we wanted to share some stories of why our coaches love sports not only today but everyday.

Michael Murphy- Kids in the Game Co-Founder

Why do I love sports? Let me count the ways….I love sports for all the amazing doors they have opened for me in my life. Playing sports have allowed me to travel the World, make new friends and experience new cultures. I have run a road race in Sweden. Played basketball in Fiji and Australia. Coached basketball in Belgium, France and The Netherlands. Played soccer with kids in Denmark. And most recently experienced shooting hoops while wearing flip-flops in The Philippines. All of this because of a bouncing ball and a desire to have fun playing the sports I love. I love sports for everything they have taught me about teamwork, leadership, community, hard work, the pursuit of excellence and achieving goals. All of these positive skills helped me to make sports not only a passion, but a career. My career in sports is not a job, it is a passion. I love to coach, teach and inspire student-athletes around the World. Sports inspire all of us to do great things. All while cheering positively for our favorite teams. All while having fun in a safe environment. I love sports. They are a true love of mine.

Matt Murphy- Kids in the Game Co-Founder

Sports taught me work ethic, goal setting, leadership, teamwork, and how to handle things when they don’t go your way. Sports taught me how to be humble, as I went through periods where I was a starter, scoring points, and winning games and times where I sat on the bench, played terrible, or lost a heartbreaker. Why is that important? Because those are all lessons you need to develop in life to be successful. Life isn’t easy! On top of that, sports naturally develop deep relationships. A majority of my best friends, even today, are those I grew up with playing sports in elementary, high school, or college. That’s why watching our King Kids play sports is so inspiring for me – I know they’ll keep learning those lessons through sport and developing friendships that last forever.

Tatum Boehnke- KING Staff

Not to sound pessimistic but the world’s reality is often a far cry from always wearing rose colored glasses. However, there is this one thing that no matter what seems to bring people of all ages, all races, all genders, and all different backgrounds together: sports. Everyone can identify with that anxiety, that excitement, that pit in their stomach when going for it on 4th and 1. Cities can rebuild their identity with one swing of the bat. Nations can unite and inspire the world in just two weeks. We can all rally behind that unranked tennis player taking the world’s #1 to a 5th set.That is what I love about sports. I love that the reach of sport is far beyond the basics of a win/loss column. Fan bases become families and everyone can just agree that summer nights are for baseball, March is for basketball and no one should have to work the day after the Superbowl.

Paul O’Connor- Director of KING Hoops

I think what I love most about sports is getting a group of individuals to come together as a team. Instilling the confidence in young kids and then being able to watch them do what they thought they would never be able to is the best feeling.

Cara Hudson- Program Coordinator and UWS Summer Camp Director

I love sports because they teach everyone about sportsmanship and how to work as a team. These are two very important things to learn throughout life to help people grow into strong and respectful human beings. I love that sports bring people together for all over the world.

Sheryl Katz- Director of Marketing

Movement has always been a major part of my life from gymnastics to playing soccer (being slightly scared of the ball still counts, right?) to dancing. My passion for all-things music combined with my intent to express a feeling through movement makes dancing my ideal outlet. It’s during this time that I can let all of myself go and live in the moment. Every time I do, I leave feeling stronger – mentally and physically.Dancing requires us to focus on controlling all parts of our bodies while thinking about applying the emotion we’re meant to exude. The combination of sport and art evolves into a multi-faceted pastime.

Bonus: I’ve discovered some of my favorite songs while watching dance performances!

Katherine Higuera-McCoy- Sr. Program Coordinator and KING Spikes Director
Ok, what do I love about sports? To be honest, the competition and training. I love watching athletes compete and do the best they can to excel in their particular sport. As a former college athlete myself, I know what it takes to push your body to the limit. I respect and admire others in every sport for pushing and testing their bodies to the fullest capacity. I love seeing the drive in people and the want/urge to win, or in some cases just trying their best. Working with KING just further pushes my love for sports as we get to see the beginning of prospective athletes. We get to train the future and teach them what we know and love about sports. Our staff really makes it great for each child to excel and learn a new passion at such an early age. I love sharing my expertise in volleyball to the student athletes I coach because I am passing on everything I know to them. Plus, as an added bonus I get to learn new skills from other former collegiate athletes and get to continuously push myself to new limits.

Frances Niduaza-Murphy- Director of Performing Arts

Even though my training is in classical music (finished my doctoral studies in Collaborative Piano), I have always loved sports, fitness, and the great outdoors. I was a volleyball player from grade school until my senior year in high school, not to mention being actively involved as a church pianist and choir member. Also, I’m still brushing up on my swimming skills. Music and sports have a lot in common: they both teach and enable one to study, to listen, to manage time, to organize, to resolve conflict, to manage stress, to collaborate (being a team player), and to be willing to learn.

Adam Garrison- KING Staff

I love sports because it has provided me the foundation for the development of many lifelong friendships. Sports can also provide a link between generations and strengthen family relationships.

Ramsey Freeman- KING Coach

Working with kids has always been so rewarding. With KING, there are countless opportunities to make an impact on the children that we work and play with. I love the chance to make the kids happy. Seeing them smile and making them laugh is a great perk to the job!

The 2016 election cycle was no doubt full of controversy, strong opinions and unrest. Issues from healthcare to border patrol were debated upon month after month (felt like years, really) with little resolve. Our educational system was no exception to the controversy and debate of this cycle. Until recently, Senator Bernie Sanders headlined the education debates with his stance on higher education affordability. However, this past month a new name in the education politics has stolen the headlines. President Trump’s Secretary of Education pick, Betsy DeVos broke onto the scene with her lack luster confirmation hearing performance last month. America was left in traditionally unchartered territory of not knowing if President Trump’s pick would be confirmed at all.

However, as of this past Tuesday, America now knows that answer. In a 51-50 vote (tie broken, by Vice President Pence) the U.S. Senate confirmed DeVos to the position of Secretary of Education. Now we must wonder what her confirmation means to the current educational landscape.

We admit it is not in the typical Kids in the Game wheelhouse to blog about politics. However, the landscape of our nation’s educational system directly affects organizations, like us, that do direct programming within public, private and charter schools. The confirmation of Betsy DeVos presents an interesting ideology change in our country’s current educational system. With a conscious effort to present the facts, we will explore who DeVos is and how her confirmation could affect Kids in the Game and New York City Schools.

Who is Betsy DeVos? She is a Michigan native that describes herself as a philanthropist and education activist. She is an advocate for school of choice, a system that utilizes the voucher system. Politico reported President Trump campaigned on a $20 billion proposal government funded voucher program making his pick of DeVos not overly surprising. The voucher system would allow families the financial flexibility to choose schools for their children. For example, a child would be able to attend a private school that they could not afford prior to receiving a voucher. We can all agree that $20 billion dollars is a significant amount of money and that money will need to come from somewhere. Most likely, that somewhere will be the current public educational budget. Meaning, while some students will be able to go to a private school of their choice, public schools potentially lose general funding.

It is no secret that the first programs cut in financial burden are arts, physical education and after school programs. According to a report city Controller Scott Stringer put out in 2015 32% of NYC schools currently do not provide physical education. More alarmingly 600,000 New York City K-12 graders are reported to “take care of themselves” after school already. In efforts to lower these statistics, NYC mayor Bill de Blasio introduced a $100 million initiative for physical education programs in the city last spring. DeVos and de Balasio aligning very differently on funding issues will be something to watch.

What else does DeVos believe?

1. While like many political events, DeVos Congressional hearing provided a lot of questions with few firm answers. One of the more interesting questions poised at the hearing to DeVos, by Senator Tim Kaine, was her take on providing funding for students requiring special education. DeVos repeated her stance of leaving that decision up to the individual states. Dependent on which side New York State would choose to be on – fund or not – would greatly impact the educational landscape of New York City. Families requiring special education programs for their child would potentially be forced to reevaluate where they reside.

2. Commonly connected to DeVos are charter schools. Charter schools are tax-payer funded but privately ran schools that traditionally have more flexibility in curriculum, hiring practices, and are occasionally owned by for-profit entities. DeVos has promoted charter schools in her home state of Michigan, particularly in urban Detroit. In general, support of charter schools has come from both sides of the political aisle. So it would seem that DeVos’ connection with charter schools wouldn’t be too hot of a topic. However, it is important to note that in Detroit 80% of the charter schools are for-profit and are not subjected to strict performance standards due, in part, to DeVos lobbying against firmer evaluations.

New York has taken a different approach to charter schools than Detroit and originally capped the number of operating charters to 100 statewide until it could be definitively proven there is educational benefit from this style of school. Currently there are 183 charter schools in New York City and any with Department of Education accreditation are set to the same standards as traditional public schools. With a DeVos cabinet-ship confirmed, the questions of how charters will be evaluated, funded and expanded upon need to be asked.

A full fact sheet of the history of charter schools in New York can be found here.

3. Citing a small town in Wyoming, DeVos showed support for guns in schools for situational grizzly bear trespassing. How does this affect KING and NYC schools, you say? Considering, grizzly bears do not inhabit the state of New York (unless you count the Bronx Zoo) we should naturally stay pretty safe from those darn grizzlies. All jokes aside, gun violence is a topic that will continue to be of both great importance and great debate in our country. With school security currently at all-time high it is something to keep a close eye on.

*It should also be noted that DeVos did not provide a definitive answer if only schools with potential bear invasions would be allowed on on-campus guns.

As of today, DeVos is our Secretary of Education. As our country continues to transition to new leadership and a new presidency, Kids in the Game’s mission remains the same: we strive to provide opportunities through sport and fitness to as many children in New York City as possible regardless of what neighborhood they are from or what school they attend.

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.

With negativity plaguing the internet our Kids in the Game wanted to remind us all that there is always time to be kind. We asked an array of participants in our various after-school programs two simple questions, “How can you show kindness?” and “What does kindness mean to you?”. What we got in return are heartfelt, raw, and admittedly hilarious answers that give hope that kindness is our future.

“If someone was alone at school, I would go play with them. You can also clean your sister’s room… she would LOVE that. And mostly, be a good listener, listening to others is what being kind is.” -Steve, 1st Grade

“Kindness is being nice to everyone no matter what they look like” -Evan, 4th grade

“Kindness is being nice even when you don’t want to.” -Taylor, 3rd grade

“I share!” -Marvin, Pre-K

“It is kind when people help me with my homework. It’s unkind when other kids play around during class, because people like me want to learn. I can be better at not fooling around too, especially during taekwondo class because I don’t want to get kicked in the face for not being careful. Kicking is also just not kind.”-Teagan, 2nd Grade

“I can help people that are being bullied by standing up for them. I can also be kind to old people because they have trouble hearing and seeing plus they are nice to me.”-Roberto, 1st Grade

“Giving friends hugs.” -Ja’Cobe, Pre-K

“By being nice to my family and cleaning the walls with my mommy, because that’s my job. My mommy is kindness to me. Oh, and I have another kindness: when I play with my daddy and my daddy plays with me.” -Scarlet, Pre-K

From New York to California and everywhere in between we asked coaches of all levels to share what it means to be a coachable athlete. This compilation is a unique insight into what coaches want to see from their athletes beyond goals, points, and fast times. As an athlete, ask yourself… are you doing these things? What can you improve upon? And as a parent… are you encouraging these traits? Are you allowing your child to be coached?

Paul O’Connor- KING Hoops Coach/Director and Former DI Coach

“Being coachable to me is all about two things: not taking correction personally and the ability to take critical feedback and then directly applying that feedback into the game. It means being an extension of the coach on the court, being even keeled, never getting too high and never getting too low. To me being coachable is a simple as this Doc Rivers quote, “Good players want to be coached, great players want to be told the truth”.”

Wilson Rose- Kids in the Game Coach of Physical Literacy and School of the Blessed Sacrament Middle School Basketball Team

“Coach-ability at its core is the desire to learn. Working with youth in sports is most rewarding when an athlete learns how to take works and put then into actions. When young athletes show the innate passion for learning how their bodies work and accept the challenge of how to put coaching feedback into movements, coaches jobs are easy. The more malleable and curious the mind, the more coachable the athlete!”

Connor Gandossy- Current DI Baseball Coach – St. Louis University

“A coachable baseball is someone open to advice or criticism in order to develop their craft/skills. Sports are a forever adapting game, players must be sponges in order to better their careers.”

Tatum Boehnke – Former DI Swim Coach- Northern Colorado

“To me being a coachable athlete means no eye rolls, pouty lips or crossed arms. You may think that your coach can’t see these mannerisms or that they don’t matter, but believe me, they do. Body language is one of the easiest indications of which athletes are ready to listen, ready to learn, and ultimately ready to become a better athlete. Be careful of what your expressions and posture are saying because they often say more than words. Coachable athletes make eye contact and react with positive stance.”

Katherine Higuera-Mccoy- KING Spikes Head Volleyball Coach

“There is a big difference when you are “forced” to do a sport and don’t have the drive or passion for it. For my girls playing volleyball, coaching them is a pleasure and easier because they want to be there. They continue to ask questions and look for feedback. Most importantly these athletes try to find ways to improve in the sport. They are coachable athletes because of their positive attitudes and how they work actively together.”

Mats Boehnke – FIS Coach – Mammoth Mountain and USA Western Region Development Coach

“Ski racing, arguably, has the most peaks and valleys of any sport. Athletes can go from the top of the podium one day to literally crashing into a net the next. Some race runs feel fast but turn out to be slow while others feel awful and turn out to be super fast. It’s a mental roller-coaster that can discourage even the most mentally tough. Being a coachable athlete mens someone that can stay positive and even keeled despite the frustrations. An athlete works hard during the low times but harder during the high times. Most importantly, a coachable athlete means respecting the sports, dreaming of success and working as hard as you can to get “there.”

Alicen Fair – Elementary and Middle School Coach – ACES Swim Team

“So much of competitive swimming is centered around perfect technique. If you can commit to perfect technique during a hard practice, it will translate to more effective strokes. This ultimately leads to faster times at meets. To me, being a coachable athlete in the pool is putting effort into bettering your craft. It’s easy to get corrections from a coach but it is much harder to actually apply those corrections. When I see athletes putting in effort to better technique, I know they are a coachable athlete.”

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.

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!

School is out and summer is here. As we get ready for our upcoming summer camps on the Upper West Side, Inwood, and in Riverdale, we wanted to introduce our internship class! Meet Nicole, Craig, Dominic, and Cameron!

Nicole Doyle

Hometown: Queens, New York

Education: Marist College

What clubs/sports are you a part of in college? Rowing

What brought you to Kids in the Game? I want to be a part of something working towards improving the lives of youth in New York City. Therefore, I had to be a part of Kids in the Game

What is your favorite physical activity/sport?  My favorite sport is rowing.

What is your favorite part about New York City? I love that all New Yorkers work hard and play even harder!

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? I would love to go back to where my family originates from and learn more about the culture. Therefore, I would love to travel to Dominican Republic and Ireland.

If you could speak to everyone in the world at the same time, what would you say? Stay hungry and stay humble!

Message from Nicole: Hi everyone! My name is Nicole and I am a rising sophomore at Marist College. In high school, I was part of a nonprofit organization, Row New York. I did not know what rowing was until I found myself in a boat with all of my teammates who grew to become my best friends. This led to my love and passion for not only rowing but for also improving the lives of youth in New York City through sports. Therefore, I am excited to be a part of Kids in the Game.

Craig Braxton

Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Education: SUNY Brockport

What clubs/sports were you a part of in college? Intramural leagues such as, basketball, and flag football

What brought you to Kids in the Game? I have a lot of experience working with kids in a summer camp setting and as a coach. Therefore, Kids in the Game felt right being apart of.

What is your favorite physical activity/sport?  I love playing basketball, however, my favorite sport is football.

What is your favorite part about New York City? My favorite part of the city is that there is always something to do – we live in the city that never sleeps.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? I would like to travel to France. I took a Level 1 French language class in middle school and found the country to be very interesting. Therefore, it would be cool to go there in order to experience their language and culture first hand.

If you could speak to everyone in the world at the same time, what would you say? If I could talk to everyone in the world at one time, I would tell them to always strive to achieve their goals and it does not matter how long it takes, as long as you eventually reach your goal.

Message from Craig: My name is Craig, and I am a graduate from SUNY Brockport, looking to start my career in Sport Management. In high school, I wrestled, played football, and volleyball. However, I did not feel that I could make it to the next level so I chose to pursue a major which would keep me well connected with sports. Although I did not participate in NCAA teams in college, I did play a few intramural sports, basketball, dodgeball, and flag-football.

Dominic Vasko Perkovic

Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Education: Columbia University in the City of New York

What clubs/sports are you a part of in college? Football

What brought you to Kids in the Game? Two of my teammates who volunteered with Kids in the Game recommended the program to me.

What is your favorite physical activity/sport? I enjoy lifting weights and playing football.

What is your favorite part about New York City? I love the great level of diversity here in the city of New York. It is so great to see so many people from all across the globe. This is something that is entirely unique to the city itself.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? If I could travel anywhere, I would go to Montenegro. It is absolutely beautiful there and I have a lot of family members who live there.

If you could speak to everyone in the world at the same time, what would you say? Treat others in a way that you would want yourself and your close family and friends to be treated.

Message from Dominic: Hey everyone! My name is Dominic Perkovic and I am a junior at Columbia University. In high school, I played football and basketball, and upon graduating, I decided to play football at the next level. From a young age, my parents did a great job keeping my siblings and I active and involved in the sports world. Therefore, sports and physical activity have always been a huge part of my life and have helped me in growing and developing into the man I am today. I hope to pass this passion for sports on to younger children while working here with KING.

Cameron Jones

Hometown: Corona, California

Education: St. John’s University

What clubs/sports are you a part of in college? Basketball

What brought you to Kids in the Game? My fond childhood memories of summer camps, and my love for sports.

What is your favorite physical activity/sport? I enjoy rock climbing and basketball.

What is your favorite part about New York City? I love the diversity  in New York City, you can meet someone from a different part of the world everyday!

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? I would love to visit Japan, seems like there is so much great fashion, food and technology there. 

If you could speak to everyone in the world at the same time, what would you say? Lebron is not the best player of all time!

Message from Cameron: I am originally from Southern California where I played basketball at California Lutheran University. I later transferred to St. John’s University here in New York City. Most of my work experience is in Sports Marketing but as of 2016, I went back to St. John’s to acquire my MBA in Finance. I am very excited to be at KING and grow with the organization this summer.

We also want to shout out two of our former interns, Vivien Li and Hank Lin who helped KING serve more kids in the game everyday! Since then, both of them have been offered full-time positions in their field of study. Congratulations Vivien and Hank!

Vivien said, “I was an intern at KING for two months, during which I finished two big projects including competitors presentation and calls analysis. I really enjoyed working at KING. Matt and Sheryl not only gave me great advice on how to do research and make analysis but also how to write better emails and network. What’s more. I love playing with kids at Kids Night Out and Recess Program. In KING, you can really “Work Hard and Play Hard”!”

Hank said, “I worked with Matt and Sheryl to develop strategic business case and industry analysis. When I was a Business and Strategy Intern in KING, I analyzed the spring budget, evaluating the profit and loss of the Spring project in Brooklyn. I also created and maintained Excel spreadsheets containing school and contact lists. Most importantly, I worked with my partner, Vivien, to do research in competitors presentation, which made me realize how to evaluate the other competitors before organising any event and project. I appreciated KING gave me these professional skills and unforgettable experiences.”

If you or someone you know would be a great fit for the KING Internship Program, please let us know! We offer internships in the following areas:

• Program Development & Coaching
• Finance & Business Development
• Marketing / PR / Communications

Stay tuned for our next post, Meet the Summer 2016 Kids in the Game Summer Team. In this blog post, you will be able to learn more about the newest additions to the KING Summer Team.

Be sure to also follow our social media pages for Kids in the Game updates! 

Twitter: @KidsintheGameNYC

Instagram: @kidsinthegamenyc

Facebook: Kids in the Game

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.