Staten Island Parent

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For many families, healthcare can feel fragmented: one office for pediatrics, another for behavioral health, another for screenings, and often long waits between appointments. At Community Health Center of Richmond (CHCR), the goal is different. The organization has built its health center on caring for the whole person and supporting families at every stage of life.

For Staten Island families, life moves quickly. One season brings preschool decisions. The next is afterschool schedules, swim lessons, sports, enrichment, camp registration, and finding places where children can feel supported as they grow. Along the way, many parents are looking for something increasingly hard to find — a place that feels welcoming, dependable, and built around more than just activities. For generations, the Staten Island JCC has played that role for families across the borough.

Art Lab is located on the beautiful grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center, offering fine art, applied art, and photography classes during the winter, spring, summer, and fall sessions. Founded 50 years ago by Staten Island artists as an artist collective, Art Lab classes are taught by professional teaching artists who have fine arts degrees and have continued to practice art making, and who continue to exhibit their work.

With the legalization of recreational cannabis in New York in 2021, adults 21 and older can now legally purchase and possess cannabis products from licensed dispensaries. While cannabis, when used responsibly and as directed by adults, is safe for consumption, its legalization has unfortunately coincided with a notable increase in accidental poisonings among children and teenagers reported to the New York Poison Center.

Whether you’re new to Staten Island or you’ve lived here your whole life, there’s always something new to discover. From hidden gems to family favorites, this guide is designed to help you make the most of everything our borough has to offer all year long. Inside, you’ll find free and affordable family activities, the best beaches, pools, and sprinkler parks for cooling off, libraries to explore, and some of NYC’s top museums that are well worth the trip.

At Staten Island Academy, science begins with a simple question: “What are you curious about?” From Pre-K3 through Grade 4, the Lower School science program is built around nurturing that curiosity and transforming it into meaningful discovery. The program’s hands-on approach makes science accessible and exciting for every child. Lessons are designed to engage students through experiments, demonstrations, games, and collaborative projects that bring scientific concepts to life.

In a world of instant information, streaming content, and immersive video games, it’s not surprising people ask whether school libraries still matter. While libraries may not compete with technology, there is no doubt that they remain active playgrounds of discovery—spaces in which students cultivate skills that are increasingly difficult to develop elsewhere. Libraries invite children into stories that help them understand both themselves and others.

Getty Images Beaches, Pools & Sprinkler Parks in Staten Island When the summer heats up, families need ways to cool down. Sure, you can hide out in the air conditioning all day long, but where’s the fun in that? With a plethora of pools, beaches, and sprinkler parks across the Island, Staten Islanders do not need to travel far for relief on a hot day.

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