Issue link: http://hvparent.uberflip.com/i/528876
6 Hudson Valley Parent ■ July 2015 Publisher TERRIE GOLDSTEIN tgoldstein@excitingread.com Editor KATY WEBER kweber@excitingread.com Executive Assistant to the Publisher BRITTANY L. MORGAN bmorgan@excitingread.com Media Advisors KIMBERLY MAYER kmayer@excitingread.com MARY ZAK mzak@excitingread.com Community Liaison PAMELA PERRY pperry@excitingread.com Web Ad Designer LESLIE CORTES Layout & Design ENGLE PRINTING also publishers of MY TripPlanner.com family MY TripPlanner.com family baby The HUDSON VALLEY G U I D E Hudson Valley Parent is published monthly by: The Professional Image Marketing & Public Relations Inc. 174 South Street • Newburgh, NY 12550 Phone: 845-562-3606 • Fax: 845-562-3681 hvparent.com This publication is copyrighted by the publisher. Reproduction without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Hudson Valley Parent welcomes submissions, although we cannot accept responsibility for work submitted nor guarantee publication. A MEMBER OF O n a hot summer's day, nothing beats a cool, refreshing dip in a natural swimming hole. Don't get me wrong, I love a good public pool, but sometimes they get so crowded that I lose sight of my kids — and the wa- ter can become a little too warm for comfort. A good ol' fashioned watering hole, however, offers a quiet, peaceful alternative, not to mention magnifi cent scenery. Luckily, you don't have to go far in any direction in the Hudson Val- ley before you fi nd a lake, stream or river beach. But the best swimming holes and beaches are often seclud- ed and without an address to plug into our GPS, so we often rely on word of mouth to get there (or just drive with fi ngers crossed until you fi nd it). We decided to ask the experts — you, of course! — to share your fa- vorite watering holes in the Hudson Valley. We've highlighted a few of our favorites on page 26, in addition to some great photos of your kids enjoying some natural watering holes. Make sure to check out our longer list on our website at hvpar- ent.com/top-swimming- holes. And if you know of a great one that's not on our list, email me your suggestion at editor@ excitingread.com. Education Guide It's July, which means the back- to-school commercials are already playing and we're in prep mode for September. It's also the time of year for our annual school guide! We've put together a complete list of the best and brightest schools in the Hudson Valley for your little ones. Make sure to check out your county listings on page 10! Co ee talk As someone who started regularly drinking coffee at the ripe old age of 14, I was riveted by Kymberly Breckenridge's article on teens and caffeine on page 36. She consults local experts about the dangerous effects of too much caffeine on young people, and inves- tigates the hugely popular "energy drinks," which are marketed almost exclusively to kids. Meanwhile, the average "energy" drink contains more caffeine in one can than the daily recommended amount for kids, and they're unregulat- ed by the Food & Drug Administration. I encourage you to give it a read! A 'hole' lot of swimming! KATY WEBER Editor's Journal My kids and I love to take a pre-dinner dip in the creek by our house. It helps us stay cool for the rest of the night.