We're always adding new bloggers to our Mommy Poppins team, and we're thrilled to welcome NYC schools and education expert Blythe Grossberg to the fold. Blythe will be writing posts about NYC schools. For her first post, Blythe shares info about one of the hidden gems of the New York City public school system: dual language programs.

Available at all grade levels from pre-K to 12th grade, dual language programs are open to English language learners (ELL) and students whose first language is English. A bilingual education can help kids succeed in our multicultural world.

Learn more about how dual language programs work and some of the best bilingual programs in NYC public schools. 

Seems like we were just talking about the Polar Express, and here it is already time for Easter Bunny trains rides! Times flies, and so does childhood, so we’d like to give your NJ kids a special treat: a free trip on the Easter Bunny Train and an Easter Egg Hunt with the family on a Delaware River Railroad Excursion out of Phillipsburg, NJ. Read on for how to enter this fun springtime contest.

It’s not often that first-run movies and crying, sleeping, or just-waking babies are mentioned in the same sentence. But at several local cinemas, it’s a regularly scheduled event. These theaters offer baby-friendly matinees - special programs that give moms, dads, grandparents, and caretakers the chance to see a new, top-rated film – crying babies welcome!

A comfortable and early daytime setting and a baby-friendly environment where parents can park their strollers and socialize with other parents with infants are common among these theaters. Lights are kept brighter and the volume lower, and no “shush”ing required.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show - with your baby.

Oh, to be three again. You run; you climb; you pretend; you sing; you snack; you dance; you nap (if your parents are lucky), then you climb some more. Play is your work (imagine that!), and you wake up tomorrow and do it all again.

If you're the parent of a three- (or four-) year-old we wonder: have you ever considered a coop? Coops are typically play-based, and they invite your kids to do just that. And even better (perhaps), you're invited, too. In addition to our listing of Co-Op Nursery Preschools and Nursery Schools on the Westside, we offer you below a round-up of coops in the Hollywood, Los Feliz, and Eagle Rock areas.

[UPDATED: December 1, 2012]

We continue our month-long focus on Harlem with a look at shopping with kids in the neighborhood. The main thoroughfares like 125th and 145th Streets are filled with popular chains like Children's Place, H&M and Old Navy. But, as befits the vibrant and diverse area, you can also find more eclectic stores on the side streets and avenues.

Although independent Harlem shops aren't taking off quite like the restaurant scene, there are still several gems, each with a unique story and history. Here are our top kid-friendly stores for families to hit in Harlem.

There is nothing as delicate and exquisite as the way in which maple sugar candy melts on your tongue.  Happily, maple sugar season is upon us!  So get those pancake recipes out, and hit these local spots where you can participate in the making of the syrup...before you participate in the eating of the syrup.

Last week I wrote about last minute birthday party ideas, inspired by perhaps my most slacker mom moment—not having a party planned on the actual morning of my daughter's 10th birthday (Who am I kidding? Probably not even top 10). I wasn't stressed though, this is New York, limitless possibilities lay at my fingertips. I couched my guilt and got on the internet, where all life's problems are solved.

Our plan was to take a few of her friends out to dinner. I wanted to find a place that would be fun and was a real experience. My daughter's favorite, Ninja, was nixed as too expensive, Serendipity had no room. We settled on Max Brenner's Chocolate by the Bald Man off Union Square.

Oh, these are the droids you're looking for alright; it's clear from the moment you pull into the parking lot. The back seat time from the Westside to Orange County was (apparently) nothing compared to the unreasonable wait between spotting the storm troopers outside the museum's front door and getting to jump out of the car and see them up close. Those guys with the inter-galactic battle blasters make sure that everyone arrives in the spirit of things.