It’s April 1990. A newsprint magazine hits the streets of Philadelphia. It’s got parenting advice, kids’ book reviews, daily family events. It’s MetroKids, brand new yet fully formed, containing from the start the core of the magazine you know today.
As we celebrate our 25th anniversary over the next 12 issues, we’ll feature fun throwbacks from old-school editions. Going through the archives these past few weeks, it’s become clear that when it comes to parenting, the more things change . . . well, you know. Here, though, are 25 things you may not know about MetroKids, one for each year.
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Founder Nancy Lisagor started MK because she wanted to know everything there was to do around Philadelphia with her two young sons (right). - Our still-popular Day-by-Day Calendar started in issue #1 as “Never a Dull Moment.”
- Kids’ Corner star Kathy O’Connell signed on as our music reviewer almost immediately.
- MK has morphed from a tabloid-style newsprint mag into a glossy-cover modern mag format.
- People come — and stay. Seven of our 13 staffers have tenures in the double digits.
- MK was an early member of what’s now the national Parenting Media Association.
- WXPN’s “Science Guy” Mike Weilbacher once penned a kids’ science column.
- 50+ CoverKids have graced MK ’s cover over the contest’s 10 years (read Q&As with past winners and enter your child for free here).
- Our coverage area has tripled — spreading from Philly and the PA suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware.
- We’re proud of our 20 years of award-winning SpecialKids coverage, in both the monthly mag and our exclusive annual edition, SpecialKids.
- Our other annuals include The Ultimate Family Guide, featuring our expansive Places to Visit listings, and an Educator’s Edition, featuring the region’s educational resources for field trips and enrichment.
- Our annual camp coverage includes the biggest Camp Fair around and a Virtual Camp Fair that lasts through June.
- Fall’s not fall till we publish our anticipated annual independent and special needs School Surveys.
- Every issue features fascinating Philly folk, everyone from former mayors (remember John Street?) to real moms like you.
- This website contains everything you read in our print pages and much more, updated daily.
- MK staffers appear at dozens of area events each year, from the Philadelphia Science Festival to the Dog Show.
- Win stuff with our monthly Win It! column and frequent flash giveaways on our Facebook page.
- Beyond Facebook, we’re also on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and GooglePlus.
- 19. Mom bloggers? We’ve got 23.
- Our holiday Toy Test lets readers review the season’s best toys and games.
- We cultivate interns from Temple, Drexel and other area colleges.
- You talk, we listen, spinning social media comments into stories just for you.
- Holidays are contest time! (Click here for info on our Mother’s Day contest.)
- 72 Days of Summer Fun will be bigger and better in 2014, with hot daily giveaways and boredom-busters.
- We’ve had offices all over town, from the Navy Yard to Center City, and know Philly’s kids’ spots inside and out.
Twenty-five years! Time to get this party started!
