About Community Subscriptions | Berkeley Parents Network

Subscriptions for parents are free, but the free parent subscriptions cannot be used to publicize schools, classes, childcare, or any type of paid programs or services. BPN offers "community subscriptions" to schools, businesses, and organizations in the community that want to publicize their programs. These fees allow BPN to continue to offer free subscriptions to parents, and remain a not-for-profit, advertising-free resource for the entire community. View BPN's community subscribers.

Who can purchase a community subscription? • How much does it cost? • What are the benefits? • Is it worth it for me to purchase a subscription? • How do I purchase a subscription? • Paying for your BPN subscription • How to Publicize Your School or Business

Who can purchase a community subscription?

Schools, camps, classes and other businesses and organizations that serve children in the SF Bay Area may subscribe to BPN.

Click one of the links below to view information about that subscription type

How much does it cost?

Subscriptions are for one year. Public schools, city-operated programs, and some nonprofits are free. Click a category above for details.

Businesses: $250
Individuals: $35 (tutors, music teachers, babysitters, small daycares)
Schools, daycares, classes, camps, and others that enroll children or parents: $75 - $250 based on capacity (see this page)
Public schools and city-run programs: free
Nonprofit organizations that do not operate a school, class, camp, or provide paid services: free

What are the benefits for Community Subscribers?

Schools, preschools, daycares, camps, classes, businesses, organizations:

A profile page on the BPN website that you can update, which displays a description of your programs & services, your contact info, a link to your website, your current announcements, and additional information such as your hours and the ages you accept. Your profile also displays reviews from BPN parent subscribers, who can post a review directly to your profile page. New recommendations of you that appear in Parent Q&A will be linked to your profile page.
Post announcements and events on the BPN website, such as openings, upcoming classes, admissions events, and general announcements about the services you provide to parents, families or kids. Your post will be published on your profile page and on the BPN website for 30 days. New posts are also included in the weekly Announcements email newsletter sent to BPN subscribers, and if relevant, in the weekly Parents of Teens newsletter.
Appear in listings on the BPN website. Your current posts will be included in a topical listing such as "Preschools with Current Openings" or "Open Houses & Tours." Your school or business will also appear in permanent listings on the BPN website that are arranged by category. Examples: Psychotherapists ... Sleepaway Camps ... Nanny Referral Services ...Tutoring Centers In all listings, a special 'B' icon will be displayed next to your program's name to show that you are a Community Subscriber.

Individual subscribers ($35/year) such as private tutors and babysitters post to either the Tutor & Teacher Listing or the Childcare Listing but do not have a profile page, nor can they post Announcements & Events.

All community subscribers also have access to the Marketplace listing, where you can view items that BPN subscribers are selling or giving away, post your own items, or request donations for your nonprofit. You can also post job and volunteer opportunities.

Is it worth it for me to purchase a subscription?

BPN is the go-to trusted resource for parents in the Bay Area who are looking for childcare, schools, classes, summer camps, and a wide variety of other resources. As of Summer 2023, BPN has more than 47,000 active subscribers -- 92% are parents, and 8% are community subscribers. We average 15-20 new subscribers each day, mainly new parents and families that have recently moved to the Bay Area. Our subscribers live all over the Bay Area, with the heaviest concentration in the East Bay cities of Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, Richmond, El Cerrito.

The community subscription gives you access to post monthly announcements about your programs and services for one year, have a profile page on BPN that you can edit, and be included in listings on our website. See How to Publicize Your School or Business for details.

Announcements that you post are included in public listings on our website, such as "Summer Camps Now Enrolling." We feature different listings seasonally in the "What's New" section of our home page, such as school admissions events in the fall and summer camps in the spring. The BPN website averages 250,000 visits per month, so your posts will be seen not only by BPN subscribers but also by parents who visit our website. New announcements and upcoming events are included in the weekly Announcements email newsletter sent to our subscribers.

When you purchase a BPN subscription, you become a member of the BPN community. Founded in 1993, BPN was one of the first online resources for parents, and has continued its not-for-profit focus on helping local parents support each other. BPN has become widely known in the community as a beloved, trusted resource, and we have grown by word-of-mouth to tens of thousands of dedicated, actively-participating subscribers. The message you want to share with parents has a wider, more receptive audience than almost any other local source, and BPN's subscription fees are a fraction of what it costs to advertise in other local venues.

How do I purchase a Community Subscription?

If you have never subscribed to BPN, click the 'subscribe' link in the upper right corner of any page on the website or go directly to the Subscribe page.
If you are already subscribed, as a parent for example:
- Want to create a new account for your school/business with a different email? (this is recommended): Log out of your parent account first and then click the 'subscribe' link in the upper right corner of any page on the website.
- Want to add your school/business to your parent account? Upgrade your subscription. Login to your account and go directly to the Subscribe page.

We use Paypal to manage community subscriptions. If you don't already have a Paypal account, you will have the opportunity to open a Paypal account when you subscribe, using your credit card, debit card, or a bank account. See the FAQ for Purchasing a Community Subscription for more information.

All subscriptions except nannies renew automatically every year unless you cancel automatic payment on your Paypal account before your renewal date. As long as your subscription is renewing automatically every year, your yearly subscription fee will continue at the same amount, even if BPN raises subscription fees later. However if your subscription expires for any reason, and you decide to subscribe again, you will need to subscribe at current rates. See the FAQ for Purchasing a Community Subscription for more information.