Who can post announcements or events?
Only BPN Community Subscribers can post announcements and events. Community subscribers are local schools, childcare providers, camps, classes, and child-related businesses & organizations that support BPN by purchasing a yearly subscription in exchange for publicizing their programs on BPN. These fees allow BPN to remain a not-for-profit, advertising-free resource for the entire community, and to continue to offer free subscriptions to parents. For information about how to subscribe, see About BPN Community Subscribers.
What types of postings are accepted in Announcements & Events?
Announcements:
The Announcements listing is for general announcements about ongoing activities and services specifically for parents, children, or families. BPN doesn't accept announcements about other types of services or activities.
- Summer & Holiday Camps
- All types of summer camps and camps for school holidays
- Examples: day camps, sleepaway camps, travel opportunities for teens
- Kids' Classes, Groups, Teams & Tutors
- In-person classes only (online classes & lessons are not accepted)
- Examples: music classes, sports teams, choruses, social skills groups, college advisors, math tutors
- Parent Classes, Workshops & Groups
- Workshops, classes, support groups, lectures, presentations for parents
- Must be specifically for parents, moms, or dads
- In-person only; online classes, coaching, and advising are not accepted
- Services for Parents, Families & Children
- Services that you offer specifically for parents or children that are not classes, camps, schools, etc.
- Examples: therapists, doulas, midwives, medical services, legal & financial services
- Preschools & Daycares with Current Openings
- Daycares, preschools, and childcare centers with immediate openings. (Note upcoming admissions events such as tours and informational sessions should be posted as Events - see below.)
- K-12 Schools with Current Openings
- K-12 schools with immediate openings. (Note upcoming admissions events such as tours and informational sessions should be posted as Events - see below.)
- Researchers & Authors Seeking Parents/Kids
- See Research Queries on BPN for more information about who can post research queries
- Examples: university researchers, public media, magazine articles, focus groups, marketing surveys
- Community subscribers can post about jobs that are available at their school, camp, organization, or childcare facility. Note: BPN does not accept job offers about multi-level marketing opportunities or job announcements from recruiters.
- Nonprofits can post volunteer opportunities for kids, teens, and parents.
Events:
Your event will appear on the BPN website as soon as it is approved, and it will be included in the weekly Announcements newsletter the week before the event date. There are two types of events that we accept:
- Kid-Friendly Events & Outings
- One-time events for kids or families (not ongoing events such as classes)
- Events must be open to the public (not members only)
- Examples: festivals, concerts, performances, street fairs, school fairs
- Info Sessions/Tours/Open Houses (for schools, preschools, camps, classes)
- Events for parents to learn about your school, camps, class, etc. (Current openings at your school should instead be posted to Announcements.)
- Examples: tour dates, open houses, informational presentations about your school, preschool, camp, or classes
What types of postings are NOT accepted?
BPN does not accept the following types of events or announcements:
- Adult-targeted announcements & events that are not specifically for adults who are parents. This includes activities such as adult drawing classes, workout classes, therapy groups, gallery openings, and political rallies. Announcements about activities and services must be targeted to parents, parents-to-be, families, or children.
- Fundraisers such as auctions or requests for cash donations. See the Fundraising Policy for details. Note: kid-friendly events such as school carnivals and performances open to the public are accepted.
- Political calls to action such as "Contact your school board member about this important topic!" This is beyond the scope of BPN. Please instead use other online resources to post about these activities, such as local newspapers.
- Events or programs that are available only to members of a specific group, such as a school, club, cultural or religious community.
- Posting on behalf of some other person or organization. Postings must describe services offered by the person who subscribed.
Can I post a PDF, image, or other attachment?
No, BPN accepts plain text only.
When will my post be approved?
All posts are reviewed by a BPN moderator before being published. This can take a few days, but the moderator always catches up all pending posts before mailing the newsletter on Friday. If the moderator didn't approve your post, you'll get an email with the reason. Check your account page to see the Status of all your posts.
Where will my post appear once it is approved?
Your post will be displayed on the BPN website, which is available to the public, for 30 days or until the event date passes. Your post can be viewed in these locations:
- In the listing you posted to, such as "Summer & Holiday Camps Now Enrolling"
- On your profile page
Newsletters: The weekly newsletter, mailed only to BPN subscribers, automatically includes only new announcements received during the past 7 days, along with upcoming events for the next 10 days. Note your post will only be included in one newsletter - the next one mailed after you post.
Why can't parents post announcements?
Announcements and events are accepted only from Community Subscribers, not from parents. In order for BPN to be self-sustaining, and keep subscriptions free for parents, we need schools and businesses to purchase a subscription. If parents can post announcements for them, there is less incentive for them to purchase a subscription.
I'm a parent in charge of publicity for my child's school
If you are a parent in charge of publicizing events for a public school or public charter school, you can create a BPN Community Subscription for your school - it's free for public schools - and then post events and announcements for the school. See How can I subscribe for my child's public school? Private schools, camps and classes, whether non-profit or for-profit, must subscribe to BPN themselves to post announcements because they are required to purchase a subscription.
I'm a parent who runs a group for other parents
Parent-run not-for-profit groups such as moms' clubs and parent support groups may be eligible to subscribe as a free nonprofit and post announcements, even if dues are charged, as long as the group is organized and run by parent volunteers and no one is being paid. See Volunteer-run parent support groups.
What is the Announcements newsletter?
The weekly Announcements newsletter is a digest of new posts received during the previous 7 days. It is mailed to subscribers each week as a convenience for parents: rather than checking the website for new posts, they can elect to receive a digest of *new* announcements.
The newsletter is not intended as a way for businesses and schools to send out weekly ads to parents. There are more than 2000 community subscribers, so we aim to keep the newsletter concise, containing only new posts. Its value for community subscribers is that it is short enough that their monthly post stands out from other posts.
When is the newsletter mailed?
- The Announcements newsletter is emailed every Friday. It contains all new announcements (posted during the past 7 days) as well as all events that are coming up in the next 10 days.
- The Parents of Teens newsletter is emailed on Monday to parents who have teens, preteens and young adults. If you check the box "Include in Parents of Teens Newsletter?" on your post, it will be included in the Parents of Teens newsletter in addition to the Announcements newsletter. Please check this box only if your post is relevant for parents of teenagers and young adults.
What is the deadline for the newsletter?
Post no later than Thursday afternoon if you want it to be included in the next Announcements (Friday) or Teens (Monday). If you want your post to go out next week, wait until you receive the newsletter and then post.
Events: You can post future events at any time. Events are published immediately in the Events Listing. If you are posting about an event for the coming week, be sure to post by Thursday (or preferably earlier) to get it into this week's newsletter. Events do not appear in the newsletter until the event date is within 10 days of the newsletter's mail date. Therefore if you have posted an event that is more than 10 days in the future, your event will be on the website, but will not appear in the newsletter until the week before the event. Check the Events listing or your account page to confirm whether your post about a future event has been published on the website.
Parents of Teens, Preteens, and Young Adults: Post your announcement or event by Thursday. The Teens newsletter is mailed on Monday, but all posts are reviewed by the Announcements moderator, who catches up pending posts on Friday but may not review posts again until Tuesday or Wednesday. This means that if you post something on the weekend for teens, your post may not make it into Monday's Teens newsletter.
I don't see my post in the newsletter
First, check your account page to make sure your post has been approved. If it has been approved, did you post an announcement or an event?
Announcements: Your post will be automatically included in the next newsletter that is mailed. Note only new posts are included each week, so you won't see your post in subsequent newsletters.
Events: Your post will be included in the newsletter that is mailed the week before your event. This means that if you post an event that a month in the future, it won't appear in the newsletter until the week before the event.
Six Tips for Posting an Effective Announcement
- The title or "headline" on your post is the most important part of your post. Only your title will appear in the listing you posted to, on your profile page, and in the newsletter. Parents must click your title to read your full post, so make sure your title is concise, specific and informative so they will want to read more. Parents have these questions top of mind: Does this sound like something I'm looking for? Is it close to where I live? Is my child the right age? A title that is too vague, such as "Daycare openings" or "Summer Camp" will not get as many clicks as a more specific title such as: "Openings in the spring for toddlers in North Berkeley" or "Summer lacrosse camp for middle schoolers."
- Your school or business name will be automatically added to the beginning of your title. Don't retype it into the Title field. Otherwise your title will say "Mary's Art Class: Mary's Art Class now enrolling." It's repetitive and it also reduces the amount of space you have to create a descriptive title.
- Location: The city you indicated on your post will be displayed automatically, so you don't need to repeat that in the title, but do include a more specific area in your title if your city is large enough to have neighborhoods. For example: "Summer Camp at Cedar Rose Park"
- Ages: If you target a specific age group, say this in your title. Examples: "Teen wilderness camp in the Sierras" or "Openings in April for an infant"
- Timing: Is this a holiday camp? Or do you have immediate openings next month? If so, include this in your title too, such as: "Thanksgiving holiday camp for K-5 in Albany" or "Openings in the Fall for 4-year-olds."
- Unique aspects: Include brief information in your title about any unique aspects of your program. Examples: "Ceramics for middle schoolers in Richmond Annex" is a better title than "Summer Art Camp" ... and "Spanish Immersion Preschool openings" is better than "Preschool openings".
- What sets your program apart from similar programs? In the Bay Area, there are a lot of schools, classes, and services for parents to choose from. It's a good idea to highlight what you do that is different from other programs. Do you target certain age groups? Do you serve a particular neighborhood? Do you teach specific skills? Do you specialize in a particular type of child? Do you provide a cozy setting? Do you provide home-cooked meals? Mention these unique aspects in your post.
- Targeting teens and preteens? If you target children ages 12-18, be sure to check the box "Include in Teens" on your post. This will automatically include your post in the next Parents of Teens newsletter in addition to the Announcements newsletter.
- Timing & Deadlines. The Announcements newsletter is mailed every Friday, and the Teens newsletter every Monday. Posts that have been approved and that were submitted during the previous 7 days are automatically included in the newsletter. (Events, on the other hand, are not included in the newsletter until the week before the event date.) To get your announcement into the current week's newsletters, post no later than Thursday afternoon. This gives the moderator enough time to review and approve your post, and contact you in case of questions.
- Spacing your posts: If you are posting about more than one type of program, such as one-on-one tutoring as well as a summer camp, we recommend that you stagger your posts. Bunching them together into one newsletter means that for the next 3-4 weeks you will not appear in a newsletter. Not everyone reads every newsletter every week, so you get more coverage if you space out your posts. If you have more than one post in a single newsletter, people may not bother reading both posts. Worse, an outsized presence in a single newsletter can give the appearance of a hard sell, which can be a turn-off for many parents!
- Subscribe to the Announcements newsletter! If you don't already receive the weekly Announcements newsletter on Fridays, go to your account page and click 'Edit my account' to add it (scroll down to "Newsletters".) Read the newsletter every week, so you'll know when your post is published, but also so you can read examples of others' posts and get to know what other businesses post on BPN.
How to Post an Announcement
Click 'Post a Message' in the main navigation bar on any page or on your account page. Then click Post an Announcement. If you don't see this button, you are either not logged in, or you do not have access to post announcements & events (i.e., you have a parent subscription).
- Your Profile Page on BPN: Begin typing the name of your school, organization or business (the name at the top of your profile page), and choose its name from the list that appears. This name will be automatically included at the beginning of your post's title.
- Announcement Title: Type in a title (see above for hints). Don't include the name of your school or business again, or your city, since these will be automatically included.
- Announcement Type: Choose the type of announcement you want to post.
- City: Choose the city you're located in. If you have multiple sites, scroll to the end of the list and choose one of the more general areas such as "East Bay" or "Lamorinda."
- Ages: Check the ages your announcement is appropriate for. For example, if you are announcing openings in your daycare and you accept ages 0-5 years, check Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers.
- Is your announcement relevant to teens, or parents of teens? Check this box if your post is relevant for parents with teens, pre-teens, or young adults. Your post will then be included in the weekly Teens newsletter in addition to the regular Announcements newsletter.
- Body: Type your message into the box. Only plain text is supported, along with a few formatting tools. Use the icons in the bar at the top of the message window to format your message:
- B = Boldface. Select text that you want to be boldface and click this
- I = Italics. Select text that you want to be italicized and click this
- Bullet or numbered list. Click on a line of text and then click this to put a bullet or number in front of the line. Click it again to remove the bullet.
- Indent. Click on a line of text and then click left arrow or right arrow to indent it or remove indentation.
- Link to a website. (Looks like a carabiner) Select a line of text and click the carbiner icon. Type the URL (web address) you want to link to into the pop-up window and then click OK to create a link to a website.
- Contact: You must provide a contact name along with either an email address or phone number.
- Preview: Click the Preview button at the bottom. Review your post. If you make any changes, click Preview again. If your post is OK, click Submit for Review.
It may take a few days for the moderator to review your post. All pending posts are reviewed before the Announcements newsletter is mailed. See deadines above.
How to Post an Event
Click 'Post a Message' in the main navigation bar on any page or on your account page. Then click Post an Event. If you don't see this button, you are either not logged in, or you do not have access to post announcements & events.
- Your Profile Page on BPN: Begin typing the name of your school, organization or business (the name at the top of your profile page), and choose its name from the list that appears. This will appear at the beginning of the title on your post.
- Event Title: Type in a few words about the event. Don't include the name of your school or business again, since it will be automatically included.
- Event Type: Choose the type of event you want to post.
- Is your announcement relevant to teens, or parents of teens? Check this box if your event is relevant for parents with teens, pre-teens, or young adults. Your post will then be included in the weekly Teens newsletter in addition to the regular Announcements newsletter.
- Date & Time: Enter up to three dates for this event.
- City Where Event Takes Place: Check the city where the event takes place. If you have multiple sites, scroll to the end of the list and choose one of the more general areas such as "East Bay Area."
- Ages: Check the ages your event is appropriate for. For example, if you are holding an open house for your high school, and both parents and students may attend, check Teens and Adults.
- Event Description: Type in a description of the event. Only plain text is supported, along with a few formatting tools. Use the icons in the bar at the top of the message window to format your message:
- B = Boldface. Select text that you want to be boldface and click this
- I = Italics. Select text that you want to be italicized and click this
- Bullet or numbered list. Click on a line of text and then click this to put a bullet or number in front of the line. Click it again to remove the bullet.
- Indent. Click on a line of text and then click left arrow or right arrow to indent it or remove indentation.
- Link to a website. (Looks like a carabiner) Select a line of text and click this. Type the URL (web address) into the pop-up window and then click OK to create a link to a website.
- Contact: You must provide a contact name along with either an email address or phone number.
- Preview: Click the Preview button at the bottom. Review your post. If you make any changes, click Preview again. If your post is OK, click Submit for Review.
It may take a few days for the moderator to review your post. All pending posts are reviewed before the Announcements newsletter is mailed.