1. Breakfast? Yes, please. New York City schools long have made a free breakfast available to students, but you had to be there early enough to get it, which led to some of the poorest participation rates of any city in the nation, according to the anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength. This year, public elementary schools shifted to a model offering breakfast to all students in their classrooms at the start of the regular school day.

2. New York City kids will get their STEM on, thanks to an initiative that requires all city schools to offer computer science classes within 10 years. About half of the $81 million in funding for the program will come from tech-oriented private sources, including the AOL Charitable Foundation. Similar programs have launched in San Francisco and Chicago, where the plan is to implement classes from pre-K to 12th grade.

RELATED: NYC Geek Guide: Classes, Maker Spaces & STEM Play

3. And the Arts? Back big time, at least in the New York City school system. Thanks to last year’s $23 million infusion of city funds, 96 percent of city students now have access to arts instruction in subjects such as music, dance and visual arts.

4. Diversity rules. Through the $16.5 million NYC Men Teach program, announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier this month, New York City schools hope to bring more than 1,000 black, Latino and Asian male teachers into the system, making it more reflective of the student population.

5. Common Core rebooted. After some 240,000 students skipped state-mandated testing this year, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo convened a committee in September calling for a reboot, starting with measures to hold off on teacher judgments tied to test scores.

6. Emotional intelligence. In another win for city schools—and kids—de Blasio announced in November a plan to institute $850 million in initiatives to improve mental health services, including the hiring of more than 100 mental health consultants, by 2017. Teachers and school professionals will be able to act early on student concerns starting from the pre-k level up.

7. More library time. The New York Public Library announced in September that thanks to a $43 million increase in operating funds most branches will be adding hours. There now will be seven libraries open seven days a week.

RELATED: NYC Indoor Play Spaces and Entertainment Zones

8. Kid Lit. The New York Public Library also added 45 children’s librarians to support expanding storytime and other programs. Twenty branches (and counting) have been designated “enhanced literary sites,” meaning more frequent story times and a program that distributes books and literacy kits to 15,000 families citywide.

9. Amazin' City. The National League champion New York Mets visited the American Museum of Natural History to launch the Amazin' City program, which takes players and students behind the scenes at New York City landmarks and cultural institutions.

10. More swimming time. In early September, the New York City parks department extended swimming season past Labor Day at seven of the city’s most popular beaches in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, including Rockaway Beach, Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Midway. Will public pools be added next year?

11. Wicked Cool. Inside Broadway, a nonprofit that gives kids a behind-the-scenes look at how shows on the Great White Way come together, welcomed some 3,000 students for its Creating the Magic program, introducing them to the possibility of careers in the arts, on stage and off, via a visit to Wicked.

12. Making Hamilton happen. Your kid may get to see the Broadway hit before you—and for just a Hamilton, at that. The show’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, announced in October that 20,000 New York City students would be eligible for a special program offering $10 tickets. 

Top image by Michael Dougherty via Flickr.