Image by ML Baxley

June is a very special month here at Little Rock Family. It’s the month we present our annual Family Favorites issue, which celebrates all good things in central Arkansas??•as voted on by you??•and it’s also the month in which we release the first Little Rock Special Family edition of the year.

For 2011, we did things a little differently to recognize the Family Favorite winners. Every year, we poll our readers about their favorite places in town. It's always fun to see what they choose. But this year, we asked you why. Why are the gold winners your favorites? Well, your answers poured in, and we used many of the answers within these pages.

We also spotlighted some of your favorites throughout the magazine, like in Cool Finds, where we show the merchandise that made each business a local favorite, and in School Crossings, where Editorial Assistant Kelcie Huffstickler highlights your favorite schools’ recent accomplishments. Congratulations again, to all our 2011 Family Favorite winners!

A another special treat for you this month— KARK Channel 4 Co-anchor, Jancey Sheats talks with us about her time on TV and as mother to three beautiful girls, all under the age of three! Jancey is as sweet as can be; we’re so happy we got to know her better. I know you’ll feel the same after reading our cover story this month.

Oh, and don’t forget to bookmark our Birthday Party Planner—it’s our list of more than 40 fantastic party places to host your son or daughters special day. If you’re thinking about going the slumber party route, you’ll find seven strategies to hosting the perfect sleepover on page 50.

Also inside: Learn more about a local Locks of Love-certified salon and two sisters who are dedicated to the cause; find our top five things to do in June; and read about one local dad's appreciation for the little things in life.

I hope everyone had a great end of the school year. Have a safe summer. Be sure to send us photos from your summer vacations. You can upload them on our Facebook page (Facebook.com/LittleRockFamily) or email them to Info@LittleRockFamily.com. You just might see your smiling faces in our Photo Album in the coming months.

Don’t forget to wear sunscreen,

Jennifer