Kidoinfo.com is a new hip guide for parents and kids, designed and run by Anisa. We are based in Providence, Rhode Island, and reaching out to the world. This independent weblog is brimming with information, creative ideas, things to do, places to go and links to family resources. 
Visit regularly - to see what’s new in books, music, food, schools and more. Search the calendar for ongoing and special events and read the A-List to find the best cookie, pizza, playground, etc.
Anisa lives in Providence with her husband and 5-year-old twin boys. She works on finding ways to make parenting easier, still fun and even a little cool. Being a parent means not staying put and being open to new adventures. Anisa created Kidoinfo in early 2007 to be the central source for everything about kids in the Providence area. But Kidoinfo also goes beyond the city borders – wherever our kids will travel. This essential online guide is for parents, caregivers, and families living in the area or just visiting.
Anisa combines being a mom with her experience as an artist, designer, psych researcher and former co-director of the Providence Craft Show to create Kidoinfo.
Since my kids were babies, I’ve gotten a lot of great information from parents at the playground, at the school fence, emails from friends, and at my favorite coffee shop. Other parents help make my job as a parent easier. I wanted to bring all this valuable information into one central location. I like having the insider information and parent recommendations for great classes, fun playgrounds, and cool music. I also want to include info for parents even when they’re not taking care of kids. Providence is a happening city in the ocean state. I love to share everything it has to offer with others - and by building a community for parents, we can make it even better. - Anisa
Kidoinfo makes everything related to kids and parents accessible to everyone in and around Providence, RI, and beyond. Whether you are a local or a visitor, visit www.kidoinfo.com often.
Anisa Raoof
Founder + Editor-in-Chief
Creative Director
Douglas
Tech Guy
Sons: D. and E.
Chief testers of products, music, books, food and local events
Nancy King: Editor
Nancy King is a recent transplant to Rhode Island, having moved here from San Francisco with her husband and daughter. A native New Yorker, Nancy was eager to be closer to her family and to reconnect with the city that was her home for thirty-plus years. She works as a freelance book editor on projects ranging from health and fitness to pop culture and kids’ titles. Particular favorites have included The Pop Up Book of Celebrity Meltdowns and Cowboy Boots: Art and Soul.
Katy Killilea: Contributing writer - Grocery News
Katy Killilea lives in Barrington, RI, with her husband and two sons, 4 and 6. She most recently worked as a life coach, and occasionally makes items that sell at Frog and Toad in Providence. She likes to write about food, life, and excursions. Although she is a stay-at-home parent, actually being at home with her kids for more than a few hours at a stretch tends to make her stir-crazy.
Michelle Riggen-Ransom: Contributing writer - Nature/Nurture
A fan of all things oceanic, Michelle grew up on Cape Cod, where she spent many summers catching pipefish, collecting shells and getting sunburned. After twelve years on the West Coast (Los Angeles and Seattle), she’s returned with her husband to her native New England, where they are happily raising their three-year old son, Cole, and four-month-old daughter, Sadie, to be fourth-generation beach babies (but with more sun block).
At her day (and night and weekend) job, Michelle wrangles content and smiths words as co-founder of batchblue.com, a Rhode Island-based software company. Apparently a love of nature and a passion for technology are not mutually exclusive, as she is equally smitten with both.
Maura Keating: Contributing writer - Parent Tester
Maura scopes out and reviews various products and services for the Kidoinfo community. She lives with her husband and thirteen-month-old son in Providence.
Martha Iachetta: Contributing writer
Martha has worked in substance abuse prevention, education, and intervention since 1998. She has a master’s degree in counseling psychology, is a licensed therapist, and is certified in student assistance. Her most recent work is in secondary education (Warwick and Smithfield public schools) and higher education (Boston College and Wellesley College). She is available for private consultations and presentations for parents, teachers, health educators, counselors, and community-based substance abuse prevention coalitions.
Jill Davidson: Contributing writer - Education
Jill lives in Providence with her husband Kevin Eberman and sons Elias (age 8), Leo (age 5), and Henry (age 2). She is the president of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization, serves on the Providence Public Schools’ Nathan Bishop Middle School Steering Committee, and works on education issues nationally as the Publications Director of the Coalition of Essential Schools. Some days, there’s not too much time left for more, but when there is, Jill loves to multitask with combinations of cooking, shopping locally, gardening, exercising, reading, hanging out with friends and family, and exploring Rhode Island.
Katie Mulligan: Contributing writer - Nutrition
Katie is a registered dietitian specializing in pediatrics. Through her practice, Nurturing Nutrition, Katie provides individualized nutrition counseling to children (ages birth to 18) and their families.
Jaci Arnone: Contributing writer - General Parenting
Having grown up in Southeastern Massachusetts, Jaci chose the Ocean State to raise her family after stints on the West Coast, Southern Florida, and a few cities in between. Although she works part-time as a prospect researcher in the nonprofit world, most of her time is spent trying to keep up with her four active kids, ages 10, 5, and 3-year-old twins. With the slivers of spare time she finds, Jaci enjoys writing, taking peaceful runs (ideally, not pushing the triple jogger), and combing local thrift stores for treasures.
Melissa Brusso: Contributing writer - Home Plate: Reflections of a Sportsparent
Melissa lives in Pawtucket, R.I., with SportsDad, daughter Stretch, 10, and the Little Man, 7. She spends her time fund-raising for the nonprofit Pawtucket Day Child Development Center, schlepping her children to one or another sports practice or game, freelance commercial writing, cooking and baking, and trying valiantly to keep up with domestic tasks. She can be reached at MBwritenow@gmail.com.
Erin Barrette Goodman: Contributing writer
Erin is a writer, yoga teacher, and mother of two young children. She is the founder and director of the Rhode Island Birth Network, which promotes empowered decision-making during the childbearing years. Together with her husband, John, she is in the process of turning their 1.5-acre South County yard into a sustainable suburban homestead, which they’ve affectionately dubbed Nadalada Farm. When she is not writing, networking, or working in the yard, Erin enjoys arranging special dates to have fun with her children, husband, friends, and occasionally alone!
Mark Binder: Contributing writer - Story of the Month
Mark Binder is an author, a storyteller, and a nice guy. More than 200 of his stories for young and old have been published in magazines, anthologized in books, and used on standardized tests. His “Bedtime Story Book” collection is a multigenerational masterpiece now in its seventh edition. His novel, “The Brothers Schlemiel” was serialized weekly in print for two years, and is due to be released in hardback in 2008. Mark is an award-winning recording artist and storyteller. He is the founder of the American Story Theater, and teaches a college course in “Telling Lies.”
Dr. Cristina Mitchell (Hillside Family and Community Medicine): Contributing writer
Providence Children’s Museum: Monthly Contributor
Marianne Ruggiero: Contributing writer - ARTplay
Marianne is the Coordinator of Family Programs at The RISD Museum. In addition to the numerous projects she handles daily, she has been running the Free-for-all-Saturday program at the museum for over ten years.
The Audubon Society: Monthly Contributor
Other Contributors:
Friends, relatives, co-workers, acquaintances, friends-of-friends, etc. – all real people and parents who are full of great ideas, valuable skills, many talents and opinions.
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Kidoinfo continues to evolve. We keep adding new columns, fun features, and more resources. Help keep us informed. Contact us with your suggestions, events, class listings and more.
testimonials
We officially launched in March, 2007 - Read what people are saying about Kidoinfo!
“Congratulations on creating such a helpful and productive resource!!”
- Dr. Alice Wilder, Director of Research & Development, Blues Clues
“This site is fabulous, timely and worthwhile.” - N.K., Providence, RI
“I made it my homepage. I use it all the time and it has REALLY helped organize my days and make them more fun and less stressful…Your site is exactly what I need.” - C.W., Pawtucket, RI
“I am dazzled by your site - I really have been wishing someone would put this together and now here it is! We needed it! Thank you.” - K.K., Barrington, RI
“I think this is a fabulous idea and a great tool - especially for working moms who miss out on much of the ‘word of mouth’ information.” - Cathy, Providence, RI
“My friend forwarded it last week and we’re already using it - Providence is less than an hour away after all!” - Erin, Boston, MA
“I think the website is great! Where were you three years ago?” – S.A., Providence, RI
“I just finally got a chance to check out your website. I was going to look at it for five minutes and got sucked in for over an hour. I totally loved it and it helped me plan what I was going to do with my boys tomorrow. It’s truly fantastic. I think it’s great and a much needed resource.” - L.B., Providence, RI
“Love the site and I will definitely bookmark it, pass it on and use it.” – K.D., Providence, RI
