September is the month of new beginnings. New temperatures, new clothes and shoes, new books for our kids, new teachers, new schools sometimes, new friends and new lessons to be learned.
Here in New York City all our kids are back in school, whether private or public, and the summer is now officially at an end, in spite of days that often seem like beach days with clear blue skies, teasing us into thinking fall is not on its way. But it is.
This issue presents our ANNUAL FALL ACTIVITY GUIDE displaying great programs around our communities. There’s a broad range of afterschool activities or weekend adventure/learning enrichment classes/programs to enhance our children’s academic and developmental progress. There are really talented and nurturing professionals who are running programs designed to expand our children’s horizons and give us peace of mind and the opportunity to be elsewhere when we need to be.
New York being what it is, there is no lack of possibilities, and many of them are comfortably affordable and/or are accepting vouchers. With so many Moms working outside of the home and many viable careers developed, there is enormous need for these activities. Signing up early will be the ideal, but many of them are accepting registration well into the weeks ahead.
Here in New York September will painfully continue to remind us of that fateful day 11 years ago when our city was in chaos. Personally, I don’t think those of us who lived here through that day are likely to ever forget the memories that will long be with us. September 11th will always mark the day when we lost a kind of innocence and freedom from fear that we no longer have. Everything changed and nothing changed, we are the same, but we are also different.
September also marks many important holidays and historic rituals to many New Yorkers. Labor Day, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur are all important dates that close our schools. In my house, my daughter is beginning her senior year in college, which continues to amaze me. Just yesterday, it seems, I was taking her to preschool and in the speeded up film that is much of life, as one grows older; she is now 21 and taller than me.
There are articles and columns in this issue we hope will make your life a bit easier. They cover babies, toddlers, school age kids and teens heading off to college, and are largely designed to help with the transition of this Back to School season.
Being a parent is a long pleasure with little training. It is up to each of us individually and as a community to rise to the occasion.
Thanks for reading!
