What's the Best Restaurant for Kids in Jamaica Plain?

Parents, it's time to tell your fellow parents which JP restaurant is best for kids. Votes are great, but we also want to know why your pick is the best.

UPDATE, Friday, March 23: And the winner is... ~~~~~ JP Patch is doing a series of week-long "Best Of Patch Readers' Choice" contests. This week's category is: Best Restaurant for Kids. Here's how it works. Vote in the poll below. Add comments supporting your decision and influencing other JP residents to see that you're right, after all. The poll closes at 9 a.m. Friday. Because this poll isn't scientific, it isn't the sole consideration in choosing a winner. The winner will be determined by the Patch editor (that's me, Chris Helms), based on poll results, comments on this story and reviews on Patch Places. Please vote only once per survey. The official rules are attached to this post as a PDF. And now, the nominees, along with links to …

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Chris Child

4:49 pm on Thursday, March 22, 2012

While we don't have any kids, we tend to go to lunch very late, usually around 6pm. At Bella Luna we've noticed that tends to the time lots of parents bring their kids there and they all seem to be having a great time!   more ›

Moms Talk

The Tale of the Drunk Teacher and Other Preschool Horror Stories

From preschool teachers who were drunk on the job to other bad fits, finding the right program for your child isn't always easy.

Last week we held a "Best Preschool" contest and the Mom's Council discussed what makes a great preschool. This week we take the other side of the coin. Add your own preschool horror stories in the comments, or ask our Mom's Council about preschool questions you may have. Deb Nam-Krane: One of our preschool teachers was drunk on the job. We started my oldest at a preschool in Brookline when she was 3.  It was in a nice location on Harvard Street right near a playground, and the staff was friendly and energetic about teaching my precocious three year old.  It also seemed like she wasn't going to have any trouble making friends. The good news was that she did make many fast friends; the bad news was that many of them left after being there …

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Readers: These Two Preschools Are Tops in Jamaica Plain

The programs at The Mosaic School and Pine Village Preschool share top honors in this week's contest.

The results are in and readers have had some great dialogue about the best preschool or day care in Jamaica Plain. Here are the vote totals for programs receiving votes: Thanks to everyone who voted and commented. In judging the contest, I mostly rely on the poll. But if it looks like there's any monkey business with the poll, I do take into account comments as well. In this week's contest, it's clear that the parents of Pine Village Preschool and The Mosaic School were especially energized to tell other parents how great those programs are. I'm declaring them co-winners of the contest. Both schools will be getting framed certificates from Patch. But I encourage parents searching for a preschool or day care not just to look at the top two …

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Homegrown

Hatched Owner Liz Vittori Koch on Eco-Friendly Clothes and Toys

Green Street's Hatched says it was the first brick-and-mortar store in New England to carry cloth diapers, and caters to a clientele seeking organic, sustainable clothing and toys for newborns to age 8.

When Liz Vittori Koch had her first baby, she began thinking more about organic fiber clothing for children—and where and how these clothes are made. At the time, there were no stores specializing in these kinds of textiles. Tapping into her experience running an art gallery and in retail, Vittori Koch decided to change that. In 2005 she opened Hatched, a Green Street shop featuring toys and clothes made of eco-friendly and organic materials, and the first store in New England to sell cloth diapers. And as her family has grown—her son is now 8 and daughter 5 ½—so has the store’s target clientele; once a baby store, it now features products for newborn to 8 years. Vittori Koch, a JP resident, took the time to talk about why organic is …

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Moms Talk

JP Moms on What Makes a Preschool/Day Care Great

The JP Patch Moms Council weighs in on this week's parenting topic. Join in via the comments section.

This week the Moms Council tackles the question "What makes a great preschool/day care?" There's already a vigorous discussion of this on this week's "Best of Patch Readers' Choice" category. Deb Nam-Krane: If the preschool doesn't have good people, it doesn't matter how many other bells and whistles it has. In my family's experience, the difference between a great preschool and one my children can't stand is the staff.  Adults who want to help your children learn new skills, who are friendly and know how to speak to children without condescending to them can make the time away from mom and dad enjoyable instead of torment. If you don't have good people, it doesn't matter how many other bells and whistles you have.  However, great people …

POLL: What's the Best Preschool or Day Care in Jamaica Plain?

The second in our series of "Best of Patch Readers' Choice" contests. Vote in the poll, defend your choice in the comments, and come back Friday at noon to find out the winner.

Last week we started our series of week-long "Best of Patch Readers' Choice" contests. The first category was "Best Smoothie/Batido" and JP Licks narrowly triumphed over El Oriental de Cuba. This week the category is: Best Preschool/Day Care. Here's how it works. Vote in the poll below. Add comments supporting your decision and influencing other JP residents to see that you're right, after all. The poll closes at 9 a.m. Friday. Because this poll isn't scientific, it isn't the sole consideration in choosing a winner. The winner will be determined by the Patch editor (that's me, Chris Helms), based on poll results, comments on this story and reviews on Patch Places. Please vote only once per survey. And now, the nominees, along with links to…

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Allison Bartuski Lincecum

9:41 am on Friday, March 9, 2012

While this poll is not scientific, as stated in the poll itself, it is a reflection of the passion that parents feel for their child's preschool. It is a starting point for parents taking the first step in the long process of educating their child. I am a very involved Mosaic parent who has been with The Mosaic School for over 6 years. I watched my 2 older children enter BPS MORE than prepared …   more ›

Moms Talk

JP Moms on When It's OK to Leave Young Kids Alone

Each Wednesday we post a parenting topic for discussion.

JP Parents: Add your voice or ask a question of the Moms Council in the comments section below. Phillipa Tawn: A 2-minute errand can become a 20-minute one by the time you have got three kids in and out of the car and shepherded them around a store. When I look back at my own childhood it is hard to believe, now that I’m a parent, how often my parents left me alone. By age 8 I had my own key to the house and would walk home from school and let myself in. My parents always left us alone in the car when they needed to run errands and even occasionally while they went for a drink in the local pub. My parents were caring, responsible people. However I am much more hesitant about leaving my own children (aged 10, 8 and 6) alone. I have not yet …

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Moms Talk

Jamaica Plain Moms Discuss Best Strollers for Urban Areas

This week, ask the JP Patch Moms Council your question about strollers — and find out their favorite models for urban environments like JP.

Each week the JP Patch Moms Council tackles a parenting topic. This week: strollers. Ask your own questions of the council in the comments section. Phillipa Tawn: My favourite stroller by far is the Maclaren Triumph. My children outgrew the need for strollers several years ago. Thank goodness. I could write a story collection about strollers — particularly about my much-hated double stroller. When my second child was born I was so anxious for her elder brother not to feel threatened by her arrival that I chose a double stroller that I knew a 2-year old would be very excited to ride in.  This was the Jeep Wagoneer that comes with a steering wheel and horn attached to a snack tray for the front rider. It’s a chic looking stroller. However in…

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Moms Talk

JP Moms on Winning, Losing or Not Participating in Sports

Each week the JP Patch Moms Council tackles a parenting topic for community discussion.

This week's discussion is about winning and losing (or choosing not to participate in) kids' sports. JP moms Deb Nam-Krane gets the discussion going with her perspective. Ask the Moms Council questions or chime in with your own opinions in the comments section. Deb Nam-Krane: There are plenty of ways children can compete outside competitive sports. For a couple of reasons, I've chosen not to enroll my children in competitive sports. It's expensive; my children are miserable with seasonal allergies; and having always been the last person picked for dodgeball in school, I know kids can be jerks in those situations, and too many adults will let them. There are still plenty of other ways children can compete. One of my kids can't ride a bike …

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Matt

8:11 am on Friday, February 17, 2012

It would be nice to have more than one opinion on this subject. My parents made me play soccer and join the cub scouts (then onto boy scouts) as a kid, and while I'm not at all into sports now, I'm very thankful they did. I think competition is part of life - especially with strangers or those outside your family. If my parents protected me so much that I wasn't prepared to deal with real …   more ›

Parenting in Boston

A Sneaky Strategy — Spare "Lovies" For Your Kids

Local mom talks about her kids' special "lovies" and comes clean with a secret.

When my kids were little, each became attached to a special item, something they slept with every night, cried into when they were upset and shared happy thoughts with.   For Emily, my first born, it was a green teddy bear she named Greenie Bear (naturally).  To this day, Greenie goes wherever Em goes, including on overnights, road trips with the family, and even to Children’s Hospital when she had her tonsils out a few years back.   Emily is now twelve-years-old and I suspect Greenie may eventually accompany her college, if he still has any stuffing left in him at that time. Zach’s buddy is a floppy green frog I found on sale a few months after Zach was born.  Zach calls him Froggie, another original name, I know.  Like Greenie, Froggie …

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