These Are the Best Businesses for Westchester Kids in 2018

||||| — |||Photo courtesy of Golden’s Bridge Day Camp||

Photo by Doug Schneider

Kids’ Parties

Sparklicious

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Whether hosting at their color-drenched studio inside of Grand Prix New York or setting up in a private home, the youthful energy and enthusiasm for play of sisters Kristin McGuinness and Alyssa Genovese comes bursting through in their flawlessly run kids’ parties. From the instant a child walks in the door to the time they leave, their imaginations will come alive via more than a dozen potential activities, including pottery painting, DIY pop crafts (e.g., lip gloss, lotion), soap batch-from-scratch, bracelet-making, and hair glam.

Soccer Program

Armonk Indoor Sports Center

Armonk; www.armonkindoor.com

While schlepping all over the tristate area with a travel team is bound to happen, your kids can also get great soccer experience and instruction close to home at this two-domed indoor facility. The 46,000 sq. ft. space, open from September through May, offers soccer classes, clinics, team practices, leagues, and tournaments (tennis, lacrosse, football, golf, baseball, and field hockey, too) for all ages and skill levels.

Kids’ Room Upgrade

String Lights at The Fairy Lights Factory

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www.fairylightsfactory.com

The name says it all: These whimsical string lights transform any space, whether it’s a bedroom or a reading nook, into something magical. Parents love that the little lanterns, which come in every color, are super chic, inspired by the ones “mompreneur” Carine Le Garrec discovered in Thailand and Paris.

Photo courtesy of Danced Cavise Studios

Dance Class

Beyond Ballroom at Dance Cavise Studios

Mamaroneck; www.dancecavise.com

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Want your children to master dances like the merengue, cha-cha, tango, and fox trot while learning the finer points of proper social behavior? That’s precisely the aim at Beyond Ballroom, which studio owner Joseph Anthony Cavise launched in 2006. The four-week program is taught at Cavise’s Mamaroneck studio and recently became part of the curriculum at five elementary schools in White Plains.

Young Naturalist Program

Animal Guardian Program at Westmoreland Sanctuary

Mount Kisco; www.westmorelandsanctuary.org

Give your junior animal lovers an educational experience that allows them to help care for the sanctuary’s animals. Three levels of guardianship are available ($25 for 3 months; $50 for 6 months; $100 for one year), offering kids (and people of all ages)private sessions with the animal of their choice — perhaps a snake named Ms. Piggy or Buster the Bunny — and instruction from a Westmoreland naturalist.

Almost Empty-Nester Website

Grown and Flown

www.grownandflown.com

Everything from college-app angst to dating drama is discussed within this fresh, smart, and supportive community of parents and experts. The brainchild of Westchester moms Mary Dell Harrington and Lisa (Endlich) Heffernan, two of People mag’s 2017 “25 Women Changing the World,” it’s become the go-to source for “not yet flown” parenting.

Photo courtesy of Golden’s Bridge Day Camp

Bang-For-Your-Buck Day Camp

Goldens Bridge Day Camp

Goldens Bridge; www.goldensbridgedaycamp.com

A sense of community and curiosity are the bellwethers of this 17-acre wooded preserve camp founded in the 1930s. The hard-to-beat $2,675/seven-week program tuition includes daily instructional swim (starting at age 3), campouts, sessions in art, nature study (love that frog pond!), drama, music, and sports, plus boating and beach volleyball at the tranquil eight-acre Lake Timber. A C.I.T. program (14- and 15-year-olds) and a leadership program (12- and 13-year-olds) are also offered.

Shopping Break with Kids

PLAY at The Westchester

White Plains; www.simon.com/mall/the-westchester

Shopping with kids isn’t always the most, shall we say, enjoyable experience. That’s why PLAY, the play space at The Westchester, is great: Parents get a break (there are phone chargers and comfy chairs), while kids get to try all the STEAM-inspired activities — from magnetic blocks to interactive-art stations.

Kids Haircuts

Magic Cuts for Kids

New Rochelle

Squirming will be kept to a minimum at this New Rochelle salon, thanks to the movies, video games, toys, and other kid-friendly distractions (like car-shaped chairs and post-cut lollipops). Stylists do haircuts, blow dries, and special-occasion-styles for kids of all ages and hair types.