For The Parents

Party People Never Have To Leave

Art Z Kids offers a wide range of craft projects.

By Brian M. Rafferty

Parents tend to travel in the same circles as their kids, and the kids in school are usually the same kids found in dance class, on the baseball team or in Scouts.

These kids all get invited to the same parties, and as a result, parents often find themselves circulating through the same venues, or using the same entertainers as the parents of the their kids’ friends.

It is easy to not only get into a rut, but to choose a party location based less on what you know about your options and more on who else has been there. Venues in Nassau County are very popular, as are ones in Brooklyn and Manhattan, but Queens has plenty of places to plan your party.

Get In The Zone

The Birthday Zone in Astoria (29-21 21st Ave.) and its offshoot the Party Zone in College Point (120-07 20th Ave.) offer full-service locations where you can host a party in a kid-friendly setting with fully developed themes, including characters and crafts.

With games, tattoos, face painting, balloons, cake and activities, the Zone locations offer just about anything you would need from start to finish all in one spot. Go to www.thebirthdayzone.com.

The Budding Artist

Art Z Kids in Whitestone (11-17 154th St.) offers a wide variety of craft parties – some for kids as young as 2. From bear stuffing and beading to plaster, ceramics, wood work and fashion, everything you need for the crafting project – from smocks to a bag to carry your item home – comes included. All you need to bring is the food. Go to www.artzkids.com.

Kiddie Crafts

Kiddie Craft Parties in Forest Hills (107-31 Metropolitan Ave.) offers two-hour packages that include invitations, thank you notes, pizza, balloons, cake and a craft. Take your pick from painting, making sun catchers and more. You can also head up the street to take part in theme parties like luaus, diva shows, pajama parties and pirate themes. Go to www.kiddiecraft.com.

Where Parties Grow

The Party Patch in Howard Beach (102-16 150th Ave.) is another full-service location for a party, handling almost everything – from invitations to pizza and a Photo CD for the family. Bring your own cake and the party is complete. Choose from several themes, including safari, beach party and circus. Go to www.thepartypatch.net.

Lynn’s Riding School lets kids horse around at their parties.

No Horsing Around

Lynn’s Riding School in Forest Hills (88-03 70th Rd.) hosts one-hour parties inside the riding ring, with three horses available to all the children. Each child gets to ride as often as he or she wants, and there is a separate room available throughout the hour and for an hour afterward to handle gifts and cake. Go to www.lynnsriding.com.

Perhaps it is not a party you are seeking to find, but rather one you are hoping to make. You want to have all the kids over to your house, provide entertainment or something to do, cook on the grill and save a few bucks in the process.

The good news is that it’s not as hard as you might think. The bad news is that you will likely end up paying just as much (if not more) for an at-home party as you would to pay for a full-service party out somewhere.

But if you are committed to the home party there are three main factors you are going to need to consider – entertainment, food and decorations.

Entertainment

 

There is a great assortment of party sites in Queens.

Don’t be fooled by the name – Global Clown is not just some guy in a red nose and a wig. It is actually one of the largest entertainer companies in Queens, and it has everything you need to make a party great right from the comfort of your own home.

From the simple package of a clown who does face painting to magicians, Sno-cone machines, popcorn, balloon animals, characters and more, Global Clown has it all available at reasonable rates based on the size of the group.

Food

Many times parents will jump through a lot of hoops to be sure to provide the food that they think is their kids’ favorite. But how often do they think about the plates of pasta that get dumped on the carpet?

 

Party City can provide all your Disney Princess needs.

Often the best idea for parties is to keep it simple to what kids can pick up with their fingers and wipe their hands off with a single napkin. Sure, we all want kids to eat healthy – but it’s a party, cut them some slack. It’s time to bust out the chicken fingers, small sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers and other food that doesn’t need to be cut and doesn’t require a fork or spoon. Remember, the kids don’t want to stop and eat. Stop is not in their vocabulary. Give them an option where they can get through their meal quickly and get back to what they were doing.

Decorations

It may come as no surprise to see that Party City, with locations all over Queens, actually is the best place in the borough to get a wide range of party supplies. From themed to parties to simply matching colored balloons and personalized banners, Party City locations are fully prepared to offer what you need to make your child’s party succeed.

 

Getting A Sitter Doesn’t Have To Be Hard

Finding the right sitter is all about matching up with your kids

By JULIET WERNER

Finding a qualified babysitter can sometimes seem too challenging. Perhaps it would be okay to leave your kids with the grandparents – again. But frankly, and they likely won’t tell you this, they don’t want to be the only ones saddled with the responsibility every time you and your spouse are looking for a night out at the movies.

Fear not, there are plenty of ways to find a safe, reliable and even enriching babysitter for the kids.

The Babysitters Guild of New York, an institution that has been in existence for more than 60 years, is the crème de la crème of babysitting services. All applicants are CPR certified and asked to provide two childcare references and two character references before undergoing a national background check. And then, there’s the interview process.

Those who qualify are able to charge a rate starting at $25 an hour for a four-hour minimum and require a transportation stipend. The Babysitters Guild is as strict as it gets, dress code and all. For more information call (212) 682-0227 or visit www.babysittersguild.com.

If you’re looking for a well-screened sitter, but don’t want to spend $25 and hour, Absolute Best Care is another well-respected babysitting agency in the City. ABC doesn’t just screen, it takes into consideration a family’s personality and attempts to find a match. A reservation deposit is required. For more information call (212) 481-5705 or visit www.absolutebestcare.com.

All you really need to find a babysitter, however, is a zip code. Visit any babysitting Web site, enter your zip code and you’ll be provided with a slew of available nannies in your region.

At www.sittercity.com you’ll be provided with a wealth of stats on your potential sitter including name, age, photo, rate and education along with a highly detailed availability grid. Interested parents can search freely without registering online. Sittercity can be reached by phone at 1-888-SIT-CITY.

Many parents rely exclusively on referrals. Real Estate Agent and former nanny Marcee Yadgar was referred to a family by a friend. Although she came recommended, the family still wanted to meet her before offering her the job.

“They wanted to see my interaction with the kids,” Yadgar, 26, said. “I just played with them and asked them questions. I wanted them to feel comfortable with me.” Yadgar landed the gig.

This January, a company called New York City Explorers will open a center in Brooklyn. NYCE has been providing babysitters to all five boroughs for the past three years. Its “Bag of Tricks” program sends babysitters – primarily college students majoring in education or the arts – to houses to engage and entertain children of all ages.

“We come into your home with a bag of tricks, educational toys and activities geared toward your child’s interests and things you’d like them to work on more,” co-owner Keyanna Murrill said.

NYCE babysitters don’t just turn on a movie and order pizza, they’re trained to nurture children’s imaginations.

“We’re gonna come and plant a seed,” Murrill said, adding, “And next time come we’re gonna see that seed grow.”

NYCE babysitters charge $15-$20 an hour. For more information call (718) 625-NYCE or visit www.nycityexplorers.com.

 

Signing Up For Scouts Is Easy And Fun

The Brownies of Troop 4415 take part in an investiture ceremony.

By brad groznik

It goes without saying but bears repeating; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Scouting for boys and girls has been around for a long time and the reason is because it continues to provide great opportunities for adolescents and builds respectable young adults.

Evergreen Chou, a Boy Scout leader in Flushing for about four years, said it gives structure to idle afternoons.

“It gives them something to do after school,” he said. “Instead of playing video games and listening iPods.”

Chou said the generation of boys he leads are growing up in the “me generation,” where everyone only looks out for themselves. Boy Scouts makes the group of boys work as a team.

New York City Council, which administers the City’s Boy Scouts served 121,326 boys and girls in 2006. There are 4,800 Boy Scouts in Queens comprising 253 troops.

John Zseller, borough scout executive director for Queens said there is plenty of room for more boys to join the thriving network.

The cost to join is $10 a year plus troop dues, which vary depending on the troop. There also is assistance for families who cannot afford the dues.

Dues go toward paying for a lot of events but one of the best has to be the camping.

“It’s a great opportunity to get out of the city and get outside,” Chou said.

According to the Boy Scouts Web site, “Scouting is designed to take place outdoors…Being close to nature helps Boy Scouts gain an appreciation for the beauty of the world.”

The counterpart to Boy Scouts is, of course, Girl Scouts, who do a lot more than sell cookies once a year.

Keesha Sterling, the Girl Scout membership director for the borough, said there are more than 6,000 girls clad in green sashes and brown vests in Queens.

These young volunteers have been spotted at nursing homes giving makeovers, cleaning up beaches and ponds and fundraising for community organizations.

“These girls really make a difference in the community,” Lalitha Sarma, spokeswoman for the City’s Girl Scouts. “They really do make the world a better place.”

Scholarships are also available to girls who climb the ranks within the Girl Scouts. This year Melissa Juinzong Lin, a Queens Girl Scout Troop and a senior at Townsend Harris High School, in Flushing, received scholarship money from the Girl Scouts. She earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting in June after organizing four educational seminars on senior citizen health and safety issues, attended by more than 300 people.

For Queens’ residents, whose first language is not English, both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have bilingual and even trilingual leaders.

“Parents can call and even if they don’t speak English, they can still sign up,” Sarma said.

Chou’s group of boys is also multi racial, which is a lesson in itself, he said.

“You can meet all types of people by being a Boy Scout,” he said. “There isn’t one type of person who does it.”

Chou said his troop is recruiting, still young and is only 12 boys strong. He said he also is always looking for adult volunteers. To contact him, call (718) 888-7412.

For the rest of parents looking to sign up their boys for Boy Scouts call Zseller at (212) 651-2886 or visit www.bsa-gnyc.org.

Potential Girl Scouts should call Sterling at (212) 645-4000, Ext. 378 or visit www.girlscoutsnyc.com.

 

Sign Your Kids Up In A Sports League

Councilman Tony Avella and Assemblywoman Ann Margaret Carrozza joined kids, coaches and parents of the Bayside Little League for their annual parade and opening day ceremony.

By Juliet Werner

The site of the latest incident of Soccer-Mom-Violence occurred at Nassau County’s Floral Park High School. The parent was trying to make her way to her daughter’s game last Sunday, but became disoriented. When a coach gave her the wrong directions to the field, she whacked him in the face with a canvas folding chair. Could what happened in Nassau County happen here in Queens?

 

The LP Fam Giants of Jamaica baseball team.

Most sports leagues for kids here in our borough require that parents sign “Behavior Contracts.” This enables sports leagues, such as the Forest Hills Youth Athletic Association, to circumvent disciplining parents.

FHYAA provides a well-rounded sports program including Little League, basketball and softball, as well as its most popular sport: soccer.

Although the majority of players are from Forest Hills, Rego Park, Middle Village and Briarwood, the league is open to children from all neighborhoods.

 

Fritz Casimir, Exec. Dir. of the Kickers Jr. Soccer League (2nd from r.) and coaches Errol Nembhard and Bernard Pierre (l.) with Councilman Leroy Comrie and the Cambria Heights/Laurelton Tigers who won the LI Jr. Soccer Fall 2004 1st Division Championship.

Carl Bobick is the grounds keeper and established the soccer program, which he said currently serves 655 soccer players ages 3 and up.

“We start to lose them at 12,” Bobick said. “Puberty is when kids decide they want to chase boys or girls or play video games.”

In the golden years preceding this shift, children from all over Queens can enroll in soccer leagues, and get a taste of a sport that has become infinitely more popular in the United States in the last 30 years.

“Everybody who signs up plays,” Bobick said, adding that when families can’t afford it, he’ll ask them for a dollar and leave it at that. For those who pay and then notice that their children are disinterested, the money is refunded.

 

Nike hosted the 2006 East Coast Regional Finals for its nationwide Joga3 Futsal tournament at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens as part of the largest soccer tournament in the world. Qualifying teams from Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., battled for the regional championship title on 15 pitches set up in drained fountains located directly under the Unisphere backdrop.

Still, money is tight, and Bobick is always fundraising.

“I’m always in the market for corporate donations,” he said. “I’m looking to add field lights. That could extend time for games and increase enrollment.”

 

The Little Neck Douglaston Youth Club also offers year-round soccer for both girls and boys ages 4 to 15. Those who excel at soccer may be interested in joining LNDYC’s traveling team. In addition to soccer, LNDYC sponsors a bowling league and “Challengers,” a program for mentally and physically challenged children ages 6 and up. For more information call (718) 423-6258 or visit www.littleneck.net/lndyc.

Another year-round soccer program is run through the Auburndale Soccer Club. ASC’s mission, as stated on its Web site, is to “provide an opportunity for the youth of Queens to join a soccer organization as an alternative to ‘hanging out.’” For more information call (718) 961-2582 or visit www.auburndalesoccerclub.org.

 

Sean Ticona, 14, of Astoria, Kevin Rhodes, 16, of Howard Beach, Raymond Tancredi, 14, of Princess Bay, Staten Island, and Keith Gradziano, 16, of Howard Beach were the winning foursome at the 2006 CityParks Golf program at Alley Pond Park in Queens and at Silver Lake Park, Staten Island. Their coach is Dick Baxter (c.), who has been teaching in the CityParks Golf program for six years.

The always popular Little League continues to flourish in Queens. Ridgewood-Glendale-Middle Village-Maspeth Little League, established in 1952, now offers three playing softball fields, two regular Little League fields, as well as an instructional/rookie field. In recent years, it has accommodated 1,000 players, ranging in age 6-18, spread out across 60 teams. For more information call (718) 821-4487 or visit www.rgvm.com.

If softball’s more your child’s speed, check out the Mid-Queens Fresh Meadows Youth Alliance at (718) 454-8651.

 

Basketball is another sport that lends itself to youth leagues and the Forest Hills Youth Athletic Association has a strong program as does Bayside’s DePhillips Athletic Club. Call (718) 746-6469 or visit www.daconline.net.

The Midville Dodgers brought the title of National Amateur Baseball Federation 2006 home to Middle Village after going undefeated in their tournament playoffs.

Queens’ athletic offerings are extensive. Soccer, baseball, softball and basketball are just the beginning. For a more complete list of the borough’s programs, browse www.powerplaynyc.org/sportsdirectoryQueens.htm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serving Queens’ Autism Community

Quality Services for the Autism Community held its first Family Fair March 18, 2006 at its Hollis facility. Councilman Leroy Comrie (c.) presented a City Council Proclamation. Yvette Watts, President of the Board of Directors (l. to r.) stands with Councilman Leroy Comrie and QSAC Executive Director Gary Maffei.

By MICHAEL CUSENZA

It is a disease that burglarizes a child’s mind and leaves parents to pick up the pieces.

Recent alarming statistics show that 1 in 166 children in the United States are diagnosed with it.

It is autism.

According to WebMD, autism is a pervasive development disorder – a group of illnesses that involve delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize or form relationships with others as well as the ability to communicate and to use imagination.

In addition to problems with social interaction, imagination and communication, children with autism also have a limited range of interests. Many children with autism (nearly 75 percent) also have mental retardation. In many cases, children with autism are unable to emotionally bond with their parents or other family members.

The top organizations serving the autistic community in Queens include Quality Services for the Autism Community and New York Families for Autistic Children.

“We provide services to children and adults with autism throughout New York City and Long Island,” Deputy Executive Director of QSAC Lisa Veglia said.

Veglia added that QSAC started in Queens in 1978 by a group of parents looking for services geared specifically to serve individuals with autism, and currently has approximately 15 locations in the borough. Queens has the most QSAC locations.

“We were originally a Queens-based organization, and then we expanded to the other boroughs and Long Island because there was such a need for services for individuals with autism,” Veglia said.

QSAC offers a full range of programs and services, including those that focus on education, adult day programs, group homes, after-school, in-home and parent training.

NYFAC is based in Ozone Park and provides services throughout Queens.

“There’s absolutely, positively never a waiting list here,” NYFAC President and CEO Andrew Baumann said of his 10-year-old agency. “So when you call me up for help, you get help.”

Baumann explained that there are three distinct components to NYFAC’s approach to autism: support and educational services, recreational programs and clinical services.

Support and educational services involves support groups “that are open to any member of the family that wants to help out and learn more about the child’s disability,” Baumann said.

Recreational programs are based on membership to NYFAC and include Little League baseball, tennis, basketball, swimming, horseback riding, bowling, judo and socialization programs.

Clinical services helps with entitlements, Medicaid, Medicaid waiver, case management, home services, in-home consulting services and behavioral intervention programs.

For more information on QSAC or NYFAC visit qsac.com or nyfac.org.

 

Tutoring Help Is Available In Queens

Finding the right tutor can be difficul

By Liz Skalka

It’s something that every parent struggles with: what do you do if your child needs extra help outside of school? How do you get a good tutor? What resources are available to you?

Though this is an issue that many parents deal with, the answers are not as hidden as they may seem to be. If your child needs extra help outside of school you can look toward a private tutor or to a company like Sylvan Learning Centers, all of which are accessible in Queens. There are Sylvan centers in Rego Park, Flushing and Ozone Park.

Janna Hays, the New York City metro area district manager for Sylvan Learning Centers, said there are several signs that your child might be falling behind in school: worsening grades, low self-esteem and negative thinking are just a few.

“It might be something that you don’t even notice,” Hays pointed out, adding that teachers can sometimes pick up on the signals better than parents. “Sometimes the parents rely on the teachers for these signals.”

Hays said when looking for a tutor always look for someone licensed by the state and city of New York. “I would look for somebody who is able to meet my goals and meet my needs as a parent,” she said. “I would find someone who is specialized. Personality is also very important as well.”

Tutors should also have references, Hays said, and should be recommended by family members or friends.

For tutors to become Sylvan certified they must go through an extensive interview process and observation period as well as be New York state and city certified to teach.

Sylvan offers programs for children four and a half years old to adults. This includes prep for ELA and Regents exams as well as SAT and GED prep courses. Sylvan also offers in-center and online tutoring.

Sylvan gets the most students from between the fourth and six grades, Hays said, and noted that many problems stem from poor reading skills. She also noted that statewide testing begins in third grade.

“It’s also the age when the academic foundation has been taught to them and they’re required to know a little bit more than the basic foundation,” she noted.

When children come to Sylvan they are given a diagnostic test to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses and then a personalized learning plan is developed for the student. Students are also issued progress reports and Sylvan partners with teachers to track their development.

“It’s a proven system to help students develop a love of learning,” Hays said.

 

How To Find A Tutor

• Look for a tutor with experience teaching children the same age as your child.

• Request an assessment. An individualized analysis of a student’s strengths and weaknesses can determine a child’s needs and help set goals. Also, insist on progress updates as a child passes through each step of the tutoring program.

• Define your goals. Are you trying to keep your child from failing? Are you looking to challenge a child who is already doing well in school? “Be sure your tutor understands your objective and is skilled enough to meet it,” observed Richard E. Bavaria, Ph.D., vice president of education for Sylvan.

• Find a tutor with specific expertise in the subject of your choosing. Just because someone is a math genius, it doesn’t mean he is qualified to teach other subjects.

• Make a personality match. Determine what kind of teacher the student has excelled with previously.

• Ask tutors how they will help your child master a specific skill. A good tutor will require that a child learn a specific skill before advancing to the next academic level. Find a tutor who will work with parents and teachers to create an individual program.

• Ask prospective tutors for references from previous employers and students, or hire a respected tutoring company.

• Get recommendations for tutors from family and friends.

– Sylvan Learning Centers

 

 

Some Schools Are Still Left Behind

By BRAD GROZNIK

There are 1,400 schools in New York City; they can’t all be good, can they?

In short, no. Like the rest of the county, the City is held to the standards set by President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act signed in 2002.

The act sets standards for accountability and academic achievement for each school in the country. Remember those terrible standardized tests? Well No Child Left Behind is an extension of that. It asks that the children in grades three through eight improve each year so by 2014 every child is passing the tests with flying colors.

Obviously some schools are doing better than others and it is up to the state to implement programs so all schools make it to the finish line despite poverty, race, ethnicity, disability and limited English proficiency.

The New York City Department of Education is forging forward with its Children First initiative, which spreads information about school performance, recruits qualified teachers and notifies parents about their options for Public School Choice and Supplemental Educational Services (SES).

School Choice allows parents with children enrolled in Schools In Need of Improvement or Schools Under Registration Review to request their kids go to a better school in the City. There are many stipulations, but that’s the idea.

Tutoring for students is also available for free through the City’s SES for help in reading, English language arts and mathematics. The Department of Education suggests calling your child’s school to find out if he or she is eligible.

For more information dealing with No Child Left Behind and the City’s programs check out http://schools.nyc.gov or call your child’s school.

Schools In Need Of Help

District School Name 2006-2007 Title I School In Need Of Improvement Status

24 IS 5-Walter Crowley Restructuring - Year 2

24 PS 7 Louis Simeone School In Need of Improvement - Year 2

24 PS 14 Fairview School Planning for Restructuring

24 PS 16 In Need of Improvement - Year 1

24 PS 19 Marino P. Jeantet School In Need of Improvement - Year 1

24 PS 28-Thomas Emanuel Early Child Ctr In Need of Improvement - Year 1

24 IS 61 Leonardo Da Vinci Restructuring - Year 2

24 IS 73 Frank Sansivieri Planning for Restructuring

24 IS 77 Restructuring - Year 3

24 PS 89 Elmhurst School Restructuring - Year 3

24 IS 93 Ridgewood Restructuring - Year 2

24 PS 143 Louis Armstrong School In Need of Improvement - Year 2

24 International HS At La Guardia In Corrective Action

24 HS For Arts & Business In Need of Improvement - Year 2

25 JHS 168 Parsons School In Need of Improvement - Year 2

25 JHS 189 Daniel Carter Beard School In Need of Improvement - Year 1

25 IS 237 In Need of Improvement - Year 2

25 Flushing HS In Need of Improvement - Year 2

27 PS 42 R. Vernam School Restructuring - Year 1

27 IS 53 Brian Piccolo In Corrective Action

27 MS 137 America’s School-Heroes In Need of Improvement - Year 2

27 PS 197 The Ocean School Planning for Restructuring

27 JHS 210 Elizabeth Blackwell In Need of Improvement - Year 2

27 PS 225 Seaside School Restructuring - Year 1

27 JHS 226 Virgil I. Grissom Restructuring - Year 3

27 Beach Channel HS Planning for Restructuring

27 Far Rockaway HS Restructuring - Year 1 SURR

28 JHS 8 Richard S. Grossley In Need of Improvement - Year 1

28 PS 40 Samuel Huntington School In Need of Improvement - Year 1

28 JHS 72 Catherine & Count Basie Restructuring - Year 3

28 PS 86 In Need of Improvement - Year 1

28 JHS 217 Robert A. Van Wyck Restructuring - Year 3

29 IS 192 The Linden School Restructuring - Year 2

29 IS 238 Susan B. Anthony School Restructuring - Year 3

30 PS 111 Jacob Blackwell School In Corrective Action

30 Albert Shanker Sch-Visual/Perf Arts Restructuring - Year 3

30 IS 141 The Steinway School Restructuring - Year 3

30 IS 145 Joseph Pulitzer Restructuring - Year 3

30 PS 151 Mary D. Carter School In Need of Improvement - Year 1

30 IS 204 Oliver W. Holmes School Restructuring - Year 3

30 IS 230 In Corrective Action

30 Academy Of New Americans In Corrective Action

30 Long Island City HS Planning for Restructuring

30 Newcomers HS In Need of Improvement - Year 1