Solutions For Parenting In Staten Island
School is almost out, and then it is off to Summer day camp for many of our kids. New York city camps go big when it comes to camp activities. The sun is shining, the hot weather and the kids need to be kept busy. Kids are off to learn, make new friends, and have fun in what is the busiest time in our city. We know camps, and we know what needs to be packed. Here are our top 10 essentials to pack for your kids summer fun at day camp.
It’s no easy task, especially when you have multiple children playing on multiple teams. When those children attend different schools with different dismissal times, and the sports events are at different locations, the strategizing gets more complex.
But rest assured — you can do this! Here are some tips to help you survive the next few months.
Get a good-size monthly box calendar — you can print out PDFs from various websites — and list each day’s activities. Put the morning events at the top, afternoon events in the middle and evening events at the bottom. You can even use different color highlighters to color code the events and make it easy to see which child has what activity.
Be sure to include slots in each day when homework and studying will be done, and when you’ll have dinner. Being able to see the whole day in chronological order will help you come up with a plan to successfully navigate the day.
. Including the child is important, both in helping get through the day and to help the child learn responsibility. If there is reading that can be done in the car while a sibling is practicing, put it on the child to remember the book. Your children should also be responsible for bringing the equipment they’ll need for that day’s sports activity. Giving them a role in managing the day provides a valuable life lesson.
Once you get to know the other families on the teams, you can help each other by carpooling and keeping an eye on each other’s children. Getting to events at different locations is challenging for everyone, and even more difficult if you are a single parent or if one parent is unavailable that day to get a child to a game or practice. Get everyone’s cell phone number in case of emergencies. If you can get some help from an adult with a child on your son or daughter’s team, and that family lives close to you, you can help each other get through the day.
But it’s important to remember that whoever is responsible to picking up the child at the end of practice should be there before practice is scheduled to end. The coach should not have to wait around for parents who come late to get their children. The coach may have kids playing on other teams like you do, and he or she might need to be someplace right after practice. Respect the coach’s time.
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The best planning can go awry, and there will be times your child will have to miss a sports event because of a conflict or a school responsibility. Yes, you should find reasons to get your child to a sports event, and not excuses why you can’t. But when it’s impossible to do so that day, level with the coach. He or she likely has had to deal with the same challenges themselves and should understand, unless it happens often.
If you find your child is missing too many of a team’s practices or games, your schedule just might not mesh with that activity or team and you should probably look to sign up him or her someplace else.
The outdoor sports season is the most difficult time of year, since there are so many different sports at so many different locations. Things should calm down somewhat once the weather forces the change to just indoor activities. More than anything, don’t build up the commitment of your child playing a sport bigger than it is. You can get through it. There are 168 hours in a week; 10 of which are generally required to dedicate to playing a team sport. Although the math makes it look easy, it does take some juggling and prioritizing – but with some commitment, it can be done!
Joe LoVerde has coached youth sports on Staten Island for more than 40 years. He’s also a longtime newspaper editor and sportswriter
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Does the thought of how your children may behave this Halloween send a chill up your spine? If you answered yes, you are not alone, because millions of other parents share this concern.
“If there is any holiday that parents have mixed feelings about, it is Halloween,” said Jane Hersey, national director of the nonprofit Feingold Association (www.feingold.org), a charity that helps children with learning and behavior problems. “Parents love to help their kids dress up in Halloween costumes, but many dread they will become little monsters after eating all of that additive-filled candy.”
Sugar has often been portrayed as the villain behind the hyperactivity, temper tantrums and other bad behavior that many children display after eating Halloween candy, but recent studies have shown that the real culprits are petroleum-based food dyes, like Red 40 and Yellow 5, which are found in many of these candies.
One such study is a 2011 Australian trial conducted at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, which was sponsored by the Feingold Association. This study of children ages 4 through 12 found that a diet eliminating synthetic food dyes and other additives, as well as certain foods, led to significant improvements in behavioral problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional behavior.
More evidence of synthetic food dyes’ harmful nature was provided in a major reevaluation of previous studies on diet and ADHD, which was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The authors of this 2013 meta-analysis concluded that a diet eliminating these dyes appeared to have “beneficial effects on ADHD symptoms.”
According to a 2013 study on the food dye Blue 1, the negative effects of dyes in lollipops and other hard candies are exacerbated by the fact that these chemicals are not only ingested normally, but are also absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the tongue.
“We all used to laugh when children would stick out their brightly colored blue or yellow tongues after eating artificially dyed candies, but now we know that the effects of these chemicals on their behavior are not so funny,” said Hersey.
In fact, Hersey and others believe that the increasing prevalence of synthetic food dyes and other additives in foods marketed to children has contributed to the dramatic rise in childhood hyperactivity in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently found that one in five high school age boys and 11 percent of children overall have been diagnosed with ADHD, which represents a 41 percent increase over the past decade.
Recognition of synthetic food dyes’ harmful effects resulted in the British Food Standards Agency advising parents to consider eliminating these additives from their children’s diet. The European Union also issued rules requiring labels on foods containing these dyes to state that the colorings “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”
In the United States, a 2011 Food and Drug Administration advisory panel narrowly rejected requiring warning labels on artificially dyed foods, but the recent accumulation of research highlighting these dyes’ effects on children’s behavior might lead the FDA to reconsider this decision.
Until the FDA takes such action, how can you protect your children from these ghoulish chemicals at Halloween? “Parents can plan for a healthier, more peaceful holiday by helping their kids avoid the worst of the candy and organizing activities that take the emphasis off sweets,” said Hersey.
She offers the following tips:
Feed Kids Before Trick or Treating. Feed your children before they go out to collect their candy. A full stomach is good insurance against their snacking on sweets as they go from door to door.
Choose Healthier Candy. Offer to trade healthier treats for the candies they collect. Parents can find a wide selection of natural candies and low-additive brand-name foods in the Feingold Association’s Foodlist & Shopping Guide.
Throw a pizza party. Plan a Halloween-themed pizza party for your children and their friends. Kids could wear their costumes to the party, which could be in your home or at their favorite pizza place.
Camp out. Camp out with your children on Halloween night. Pitch a tent in the back yard, grill some hot dogs, and tell ghost stories.
Rent a Scary Movie. Make Halloween a movie night. Let your kids pick a scary film to rent and treat them to all the popcorn they want.
Give Them Toys. Toys are a great alternative to candy. Check your local dollar store for Halloween-themed items like vampire teeth, squishy eyeballs, glow-in-the-dark insects and jumping spiders.
“Halloween does not have to be a stressful time for parents,” said Hersey. “With some planning, your children won’t act like little goblins after they have taken off their Halloween costumes!”
The nonprofit Feingold Association helps families use a low-additive diet developed by the late
Dr. Benjamin Feingold, a pediatrician who was Chief of Allergy at San Francisco’s Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. www.feingold.org • 800-321-3287
2019
Is there any view more breathtaking than the twinkle of glowing holiday lights? Kick off your yuletide celebrations this season with a Christmas Tree or Menorah Lighting Ceremony here on Staten Island. Bring your whole family and bask in the bright lights together!
Always call ahead to confirm dates, times, locations, and details.
Saturday, November 30 • 5pm
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church • 347 Davis Ave
Join The Castleton Merchants Organization and St Mary’s Episcopal Church for a Holiday Tree Lighting. Before the tree lighting head down to shop on Castleton Avenue on Small Business Saturday.
Sunday, December 1 • 4pm
On New Dorp Lane • between New Dorp Plaza & 10th Street • 718-477-1400 ext 827
Featuring Christmas caroling, a family photo booth with Santa, a trackless train, animals, costume characters, free gift wrapping and much more.
Tuesday, December 3 • 5pm-7pm
Victory Blvd & Westcott Blvd • 718-273-8802
Santa, caroling, entertainment and more!
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Tuesday, December 3 • 3-6pm
Empire Outlets • 55 Richmond Terrace • 929-262-6710
The first-ever tree lighting at Empire Outlets will showcase a 40-foot crystal tree and an evening of live music and caroling, hot chocolate, seasonal bites, in-store shopping deals and holiday revelry for the whole family. Guests are asked to bring much-needed toys for kids in need during the holiday season, to be donated to Toys for Tots in honor of #GivingTuesday.
Thursday, December 5 • 6:30pm
10 Richmond Terrace • 718-816-2000
More details TBA.
Friday, December 6 • 7pm
The Conference House • 7455 Hylan Blvd. • 718-984-6046
Welcome the holidays at this free outdoor community event. Enjoy live music and warm cider and cookies as the Conference House is illuminated from within.
Sunday, December 8 • 5-7pm
Annadale Road next to Richmond County Savings Bank
Featuring a DJ, music, train ride for kids, bouncy houses, live performance by Miss Caroline’s Dance Elite, photos with Santa.
Sunday, December 8 • 12-6pm
Historic Richmond Town • 441 Clarke Avenue • 718-351-1611
Visit New York City’s most complete historic village all dressed up for Christmas. Take an old-fashioned carriage ride down historic Center Street and immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of winter in the country. Plus see the annual tree lighting.
Sunday, December 8
Rab’s Country Lanes • Hylan Blvd. & Delaware Ave.
Join the very first annual Tree Lighting at Rab’s!
Sunday, December 15 • 3-5pm
Santander Bank Parking Lot • 1630 Richmond Rd. • 718-477-1400
Free family photos with Santa, trackless train, Christmas carolers, free refreshments, giveaways, dance demonstrations and live reindeer.
Sunday, December 22 • 4-6pm
2655 Richmond Avenue
Staten Island’s Largest Menorah Lighting at the SI Mall. Join us in an evening of unity and light. Latkes, hot cocoa, Chanukah Arts & Crafts, entertainment and more!
Monday, December 23 • 6:30pm
10 Richmond Terrace • 718-816-2000
More details TBA.
Looking to upgrade your ho-hum family photo? Maybe you’re searching for a few fresh poses that don’t involve parking the brood squarely on the sofa. You might be dying to depart from boring black clothes for this year’s photo, but too tired to pull together coordinating trendy togs. Or perhaps you just want your on-the-go toddler to sit still long enough to for you to click the shutter (bonus points if he’s actually looking at the camera!).
Before you yelp “Enough!” read on for pro tips to help make your family photos shine.
Give your creative process a jolt via the online inspiration-hub Pinterest.com. Search for “family photos” to peruse striking family shots featuring unique props, non-standard locales, and distinctive poses. Create your own pinboard of inspiring images—and don’t forget to share your favorites with your photographer (even if it’s your neighbor).
Dressing everyone in perfectly color-matched duds does little to showcase family members’ unique personalities, says Maui family and wedding photographer Karma Hill. For polished pics, think ‘coordinate,’ not ‘match.’ “It’s like decorating a room,” says Hill. “You don’t use one color—you choose different colors that work well together.”
For traditionalists, photographer Emily Johnston of Pix by Emily in Gilbert, Arizona recommends working a singular bright tone into each person’s outfit in a different way—like a red tie for dad, a red scarf for mom, and red sweaters for the kids. For a trendier look, pick a variety of colors within a similar family, like jewel tones, yellows, or gray hues from heather to charcoal.
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“A few fun, bold accessories add sharp details that make your pictures pop,” says Johnston. “Things like a flower headband for a little girl, a long layered necklace for mom, bright earrings for a teen girl, a fedora for a boy, or a large wristwatch for dad.” Bonus: Letting style-conscious kids choose a few hip accessories helps ease the sting of having to don parent-selected portrait attire.
Planning for a family shot right before naptime or dinner is a recipe for disaster. Children are difficult to photograph under the best of circumstances, and if they’re tired or hungry, you’re not likely to get the shot you want (unless a “screaming kids” photo is what you’re after!). “If you have very young children, time photos when they first wake up from a nap or first thing in the morning after breakfast,” says Hill.
Lighting determines your photo’s quality and mood, and muddy lighting spoils an otherwise stellar shot. “Open shade”—a patch of shade surrounded by light—is ideal, says Hill. Avoid midday sun or harsh overhead indoor lights that cast unflattering dark shadows under the eyes. Instead, aim for light that streams in at an angle (a condition that occurs naturally in the morning and late afternoon). And beware the unneeded flashbulb: “Using the flash lends unnatural color to skin,” says Hill. “With good natural light, there’s no need for it.”
Ready to rise to the occasion? Photographing from up high (or down low) makes for surprising angles and interesting, frame-worthy photos. “For fun, unique perspective, get on the floor to photograph your kids at their level,” says Johnston. Steer clear of the dreaded double chin on adults by stepping on a chair or stepladder and shooting from above.
Explore Aperture. Your camera’s aperture setting determines its range of focus; a lower aperture number puts the focus on the subjects and blurs the background. If you have a camera that has aperture priority mode, use it!” says Hill. This mode lets you adjust only the aperture without fussing with the camera’s other settings.
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Props—objects that add meaning and dimension to photos—are the latest trend in family and kids photography, says Johnston. Try including a banner or a small chalkboard announcing a holiday, or a square sign with the family’s last initial. A string of glowing lights is a prop with endless possibilities: try winding it gently around kids’ feet or letting toddlers explore the twinkling strand while you snap away.
If the Holy Grail of family photos—all kids looking at the camera and smiling simultaneously— proves elusive, don’t lose hope. Snap individual photos of each child and have a friend or neighbor take a photo of mom and dad together. Use photo-editing software or a pre-made frame with multiple photo openings to display the results in a collage.
As for that group family portrait you want, it may help to soften your definition of “perfect.” Posed photos may not be your family’s thing—but an afternoon spent doing something you enjoy, whether it’s cooking, surfing, or horseback riding, could yield pure photo magic. Match your photography goals to your family’s unique taste and temperament, and you’re sure to score the mantle-worthy shot of your dreams.
By Malia Jacobson, a nationally published journalist, columnist, and author who loves snapping photos of her three kids.
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The New York City Department of Education heard our calls and has expanded the Academics, Career, and Essential Skills (ACES) program. The ACES program provides intellectually disabled students, such as those with down syndrome, an opportunity to learn in their local community school. We requested that NYC DOE expand the program to elementary school here on Staten Island.
The first elementary level ACES program will begin this month for the 2019-2020 school year. The expansion came after months of trying to convince the Department of Education to roll the program out in full on Staten Island, where it had only been offered locally to middle and high school students, but not elementary school students.
Public School 58, located at 77 Marsh Avenue, will be the first Staten Island elementary school to offer the ACES program this fall. Previously, parents who wanted to enroll their child in the program would have to be willing to travel to another borough.
The middle school level of the ACES program will also be expanding to Intermediate School 34, located at 528 Academy Avenue, and will continue to be offered at Intermediate School 75, McKee High School, and Wagner High School.
The ACES program is crucially important to the success of students with disabilities, and I am pleased that the Department of Education has decided to expand it so that these students can truly receive the high-quality education they deserve. This would never be possible though without the determination of those student’s parents, and many other parent advocates like them, who fight each day to get their children the best education possible.
ACES Programs provide an opportunity to learn academic, work, and independent living skills in one of New York City’s local community school districts (elementary, middle and high school). The programs support students in learning daily living skills such as building relationships with peers and adults, grocery shopping, learning how to use a bank, etc.
The ACES student profile is identified by the following criteria:
• Students with a mild to moderate intellectual disability
• Academic abilities and skills are significantly below grade level. Students may need additional support when working independently or in groups. Assistive technology devices may be used to support learning and interaction
• Students may have mild to moderate behavior challenges, but no aggressive or self-injurious behaviors. Behavior challenges may interfere with learning and social opportunities. The student’s ability to carry out functional life skills such as grooming, dressing, eating, keeping safe, and socializing (known as adaptive behaviors) will be well below age expected levels. To assess independence and daily living skills, a student’s IEP Team uses an adaptive behavior test. Students with low adaptive behavior scores are often considered for the ACES program
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Program Features
Class Structure: Students in the ACES program attend a District 1-32 school in a smaller class. The number of students in ACES special classes increase as students move from elementary school and middle school to high school.
In Kindergarten through eighth grade, most ACES Programs have up to 12 students in a special class, one special education teacher, and a classroom paraprofessional.
In high school, ACES Programs have up to 15 students and one special education teacher. The program emphasizes inclusive opportunities for students to join the school community and engage with peers who do not have IEPs.
Teachers and support staff are trained in specialized instructional strategies and assessments that support students in learning and applying work and independent living skills at home, in school, and in the community.
ACES Program classes follow the New York State Learning Standards. Principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and essential skill building are a part of the program.
I am grateful to Chancellor Carranza, his staff and our Staten Island Field Support Center and District Office for their partnership in making this a reality.
By Michael Reilly, NYS Assemblyman, former District 31 Community Education Council President and former NYPD Lieutenant.
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