Half a dozen mother and father and their infants and toddlers sit in a circle going through Krysta Ferrara, who strums on her guitar. “I’m so glad to be right here for Oh My Goodness’ opening day in Port Washington,” she gushes, and she or he’s met by a bevy of infants shaking jingle bells in response.
Oh My Goodness, a wellness heart for youngsters, initially opened in Backyard Metropolis in 2020. The Lengthy Island sisters who personal it launched their second location in April, kicking off opening day with a music class and extra. They usually’re hoping to open a 3rd location in Huntington Village.
Oh My Goodness isn’t the one household venue on Lengthy Island whose success has engendered enlargement this spring. The Nesting Place in Farmingdale, which caters to parents-to-be earlier than their youngster is born, and continues to supply a gathering spot for them till youngsters attain the age of 6, opened a second location in Yaphank in April and is opening a 3rd location in Merrick on Friday.
Listed here are the main points on the brand new venues:
Oh My Goodness
Oh My Goodness payments itself as a youth wellness heart. The brand new storefront location in Port Washington is adjoining to The Dolphin Bookshop, and there’s even a breakthrough so households can go from Oh My Goodness to the bookshop and again.
Vivi Gaber, 1, together with her mother Meg, of Manhasset, heart, attend a music class at Oh My Goodness in Port Washington.
Credit score: Danielle Silverman
A play space with a tubular, winding slide, a ball pit, and play space with toys lets youngsters discover open play. An open-concept classroom is used for artwork and music courses, yoga, mindfulness and meditation classes and even for youngsters’s breathwork courses that train youngsters to breathe by way of anxious conditions, says Margaret Elenis, 31, of Franklin Sq., who owns the venues together with her sister, Katerina, 28, of Bayside. The sisters grew up in Floral Park. Elenis is the mother of a 6-year-old and a toddler.
A restaurant space lets mother and father chill out and order coffees and smoothies in addition to healthful meals for the youngsters reminiscent of Ezekiel bread grilled cheese.
“I like that it’s for the infants. They get to socialize and play,” says Christopher Serna, 34, of West Hempstead, an entrepreneur who attended the opening day music class along with his spouse, Sully Arias-Serna, 34, a stay-at-home guardian, and their daughter, Ayla, 10 months.
The Port Washington tackle is at 301 Fundamental St. The unique location is at 61 New Hyde Park Rd., in Backyard Metropolis. 516-636-5444, ohmygoodnesskids.com.
The Nesting Place
The Nesting Place opened its first location in Farmingdale in 2020 after spending a 12 months working out of a yoga studio in West Islip after which on-line in the course of the top of the pandemic. Farmingdale, Yaphank and Merrick all provide train and yoga courses, together with prenatal and postnatal, childbirth and child preparation courses, new child and lactation assist teams, parenting and wellness workshops, therapeutic massage remedy, sleep teaching and occupational and speech remedy.
Avery Mischke, of Commack, and her son Kaden, 7-months, participate in a mother’s social and assist group on the Nesting Place in Farmingdale in 2020.
Credit score: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Every location consists of a classroom and an artwork studio. The brand new Yaphank location is the largest of the three; it provides a youngsters’ play area adorned with a rainbow and loaded with wooden toy objects and different instructional playthings. “It was one thing mothers have been in search of in their very own communities,” co-founder Laura Siddons says of why The Nesting Place expanded.
Ashley Ott, 34, a doctor assistant from Riverhead, not too long ago visited the Yaphank location for the primary time together with her 10-month outdated daughter, Lilly, to deal with herself to a lymphatic drainage therapeutic massage. Workers members babysat Lilly throughout Ott’s session for a further payment. “It’s supposed to assist your physique detox,” Ott says of the therapeutic massage.
Jessica Paterno, a realtor from Manorville, additionally visited for the primary time not too long ago together with her 3-year-old, Thomas, and her 17-month-old, Bradley, for an open play session. “I used to be simply thinking about making an attempt it out,” she says. Whereas she says it appeared extra geared to entertaining her youthful son, nonetheless, her older son loved it too. “He didn’t need to depart,” she says.
The Farmingdale location is at 2043 Wellwood Ave., Suite 1. The Yaphank location is at 95 Horseblock Rd. The Merrick location is at 2150 Merrick Mall. thenestingplaceli.com, 631-318-3382. Lessons begin at $22.
Beth Whitehouse writes about households, parenting and nice issues to do with the children on Lengthy Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday employees Pulitzer Prize for protection of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
