If searching through racks of plastic costumes with price tags of up to $40 for a one-night event, is enough to spook you out - you need a better option. P&K found it. Thrift stores, like Savers, provide endless eco-friendly options. Whether it’s head-to-toe ensembles fashioned completely from secondhand finds, or thrift picks enhanced with just a few new costume accessories brought in for the season.

Perhaps due to increased awareness about domestic violence, the reported numbers regarding victims of violence are rising, says Mardi Chadwick, Esq., Director of Community Services at Casa Myrna Vazquez, a Boston-area domestic violence agency. It used to be that one out of every four people reported to have been affected by domestic violence, Chadwick says; now, that number is one out of three. In fact, those numbers concerned Governor Deval Patrick enough to issue a public health advisory this June, urging for a statewide strategy to prevent domestic violence homicide.

 Finding the right fit between a parent’s expectations and an independent school’s culture and mission, is crucial when it comes to ensuring your child’s academic and social growth. And finding the right fit starts with asking the right questions.

With election season upon us, parents have the perfect opportunity to teach their children about our national government. From reading books to volunteering, here are some ways to raise a future voter!

They were some of the first faces to appear on the cover of Parents and Kids magazine and now they’re all grown up. Meet the P&K cover kids!

Journey back in time from 1998 to today as P&K relives some highlights of parenting in the last decade. It's our way of celebrating our 10th anniversary.

Time to get spooked out! We've given you the spookiest, scariest, little-known details about Massachusetts' frightful past. From a tidal wave of molasses to the world's largest brain bank, you'll have fun sharing these tidbits with others!

Grandparents serve many roles in the lives of their grandchildren – role models, playmates, caretakers and more.  All of us at P&K (along with these cuties!) wish you a Happy Grandparent’s Day.

 

For some grandparents, a special relationship with their grandkids turns into full-time care and guardianship—yet for grandparents on the other end of the spectrum, it can be a challenge to even see their grandkids. Whether you’re seeking visitation and access to your grandchildren or serving as their legal guardian, there are several legal issues involved.

Kids will pack their lunches and books this month to go back to school. Many moms will follow, trading in the jeans and sandals of stay-at-homes for business attire. September seems to be the month of choice for mothers to return to the structured world of work, or at least the time to start looking for work.Statistics show that nearly 70 percent of women with children under age 18 work outside of the home, and almost half of the 10 million women with very young children (under age 3) also hold jobs.

Many parents have felt some frustration about the lack of say in their child’s education at one point, and make a choice to send their children to independent schools. In fact, enrollment at independent schools grew 11.9 percent between 1996 and 2006, according to National Association of Independent Schools.
Find out more about private school options in your area.

If you take a peek into some of our state’s most innovative classrooms this fall, don’t expect to see kids with their heads buried in a textbook counting down to recess.   Instead, you’ll find students enthusiastically engaged in excavating skeletons, sending podcasts to India, practicing yoga, competing for medals in their school’s recycling Olympics, and planting school gardens.Massachusetts is not only home to some of the best schools in the country, but also boasts outstanding teachers – teachers breaking new ground and finding exciting ways to help kids learn.

To find our answer, P&K went straight to the source. Christine Koh, local mom extraordinaire, is the founder of BostonMamas.com and the link to all things that makes a Boston Mama wonderful! Find out her picks for the best child products, learn how her career led her to where she is now and much more.

Meet local mom Michelle Nicholasen who is the co-author behind "I Brake for Meltdowns: How to Handle the Most Exasperating Behavior of Your to 2 - to 5-year old.  Local moms and authors Michelle Nicholasen and Barbara O’Neal deliver honest, humorous and practical advice on “managing 2 to 5 year old children in a dignified, respectful way based on the behavior that is driving you bonkers!” We especially love the advice for dealing with chronic whiners or handling public meltdowns.

A peek into this year’s school supplies promises to be full of items that are fun for kids, kind to the environment, and designed for busy parents. Here are 10 you’ll want to check out:

Good performance overall, but needs improvement in some areas: that’s the Commonwealth’s report card when it comes to its educational system, according to Governor Deval Patrick. And now, the Governor is seeking to address some of the gaps through the Commonwealth Readiness Project, a 10-year strategic plan for revamping the state’s educational system.

Do your kids want to look too cool for school but you want to keep some money in your pocket? P&K spoke to area fashion experts to get the inside scoop on what kids will want to be wearing when the first school bell rings.


 

Saturday morning, the local playground: More than a dozen toddlers and young children walk, run, stumble and bump into each other, among plastic cars and mountains of wood chips. Parents, armed with juice boxes and snacks, chat candidly about the latest strollers, daycare and the pressures of work. They’re all juggling parenthood and careers, but have gathered in at the playground on one of their sacred days off for their own play date.

Massachusetts is the first in the nation to offer existing schools the opportunity to convert to an extended day through state grants, first offered for the ’05-’06 school year. So far, 18 schools in 7 districts have taken the state up on its offer. Others have participated in a planning process, with 75 additional schools expected to come on board over the next two years.

 You’ve shopped for a backpack, new sneakers and the untouched box of crayons that’s ready for the first homework assignment of the new school year. Your child is ready for Kindergarten, but are you?