NPS Photo

Brooklyn College and the College of Staten Island are official partners with the Education Center, contributing to program design and operations.

The National Parks of New York Harbor Education Center, located at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, introduces young people to the world of the harbor—its ecology, commercial use and history.

Brooklyn College and the College of Staten Island are official partners with the Education Center. This partnership allows the colleges to contribute to program design and operations, including the development of lesson plans at National Park sites in New York Harbor.

For program information and reservations, contact us at 718-354-4530 or email us.

The Center is available for school trips. A resource room contains a reference library where teachers and other professionals can learn about the harbor and develop innovative programs, teaching materials, and activities focused on New York Harbor.

Programs include:

Sentinels of Our Shores
Grades 4-5: Forts that defended New York Harbor in the 1800s.

To Be Somebody in America
Grade 8: Students read oral histories of Ellis Island immigrants , then interpret them dramatically.

Marine Invaders
High school: A "citizen science" program where students visit Jamaica Bay in Brooklyn and Queens and gather live data--literally!

A Kite's-Eye View 
Summer and after-school groups: Fly kites and take aerial photos of Fort Wadsworth. Weather-dependent.

Weather and Climate in Our National Parks
Grade 6: A pilot program for which includes distance learning with other NPS sites.

The Center is located a few hundred feet from the landmark fortifications of Fort Wadsworth where, each November, runners for the New York Marathon assemble to begin the race. The Civil War-era fortifications overlook the entire harbor and afford breathtaking views of the large ships hauling cargo in and out of America's busiest port: New York City.