What are the benefits of subscribing? 

1. You can post announcements about openings in your programs, upcoming registrations, tours and open houses, kid-friendly events and activities such as carnivals and performances, and parent education events such as lectures. Your posts are public on the BPN website for 30 days in listings such as: Classes now enrolling ... Summer & holiday camps with openings .. . Parent workshops. New posts are included in the weekly Announcements newsletter, which is emailed to subscribers on Fridays, and, if you target teens and preteens, in Monday's Parents of Teens newsletter.  

2. We'll create a profile page for your program if we don't already have one on our website, which you will be able to update. Your profile page contains a description of your program, contact information, and a link to your own website. Your current announcements and events are displayed on your profile page. Parents who subscribe to BPN can post reviews of you directly to your profile page. If you are recommended in response to a parent's request, these will also appear on your profile page.

3. You will be included in the relevant category listings on our website, for example: Music Camps ... Soccer ... Cooking ... Coding & Technology. Your program's name will be highlighted in our listings with a special 'B' icon to show that you are a BPN Community Subscriber.

4. Your program will be included in our Classes & Camps Database, where parents can search hundreds of programs by city, ages, type of program, and activity type. 

 What programs are eligible to subscribe?

You can subscribe to BPN if you meet both of these conditions:

• Your program is either for children up to age 18 or specifically for parents or expectant parents.
• You are based in the San Francisco Bay Area, or you are a sleepaway camp, summer travel program, or other residency program that recruits Bay Area children.

Online programs: Normally BPN does not accept posts about online classes. However as of 2020 we are accepting posts about online classes from businesses that are otherwise eligible to subscribe.  See below.

Note: If you offer only one-on-one instruction, see instead "Subscribing as a Tutor or Teacher"

How much does it cost?

Subscription fees are based on the type and size of the program you operate. NOTE: Nonprofits pay the same fees as for-profits except as noted below.

• Programs that are operated and staffed by employees of a city, county, or school district
• Nonprofit programs that are free at all times for all participants
• Nonprofit programs that are run by parent volunteers, such as scouting and sports teams (see below).
• Volunteer-run support groups for parents
• Some cultural and religious groups that meet infrequently (see below)

• Overnight camps, travel programs, or other residency programs
• Counseling, advising, or therapeutic support is a part of the program
• Multiple sites
• Multiple programs (such as classes/camps in addition to after school programs)
• More than 5 paid employees
• Capacity to enroll 100+ participants
• Online classes and groups with no published maximum enrollment (see below).

All Others:  The yearly subscription fee is $75 or $150 depending on your enrollment capacity. View subscription fee levels here.  

How do I subscribe?

Click 'subscribe' at the top of the BPN website, or if you are already a BPN subscriber, go directly to the Subscribe page.

Programs operated by nonprofits

If your program is free for all participants, and you are a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, then you may subscribe as a free nonprofit. However if you charge participants a fee or dues, then you must pay the same subscription rate as all other camps and classes -- see How much does it cost? 

Volunteer-run nonprofit sports teams, clubs and groups

Subscriptions are free for nonprofit clubs, teams, and other groups for kids that are organized and run by parents, including sports teams, scouts, 4-H clubs, and hobby clubs.

See also: Volunteer-run parent support groups

Nonprofit cultural or religious classes and groups

Classes that meet only a few hours a week in order to serve children of a particular cultural or religious background may be eligible for a reduced subscription fee. Typically these programs charge tuition by the semester or the year, and operate only on weekends or after school. Please Contact us to find out whether your program qualifies for a reduced fee.

Programs operated by a city or school district 

City-run and school district run programs may subscribe to BPN for free.  However, to qualify for a free subscription, the camp or class must be operated and staffed entirely by employees of the city or school district.  This means that if you teach a class in a city park or public/charter school, you must still purchase a subscription that is based on your capacity unless you are an employee of the city or school district that is hosting the class. 

Foundations and other non-profits that are associated with a particular school district are not considered to be a public school because their funding does not come from state and federal taxes, so these nonprofits must subscribe at the same levels as other nonprofit camps and classes. 

Online classes and workshops

As a result of the Covid pandemic, BPN is currently accepting announcements about online classes that are otherwise eligible to subscribe. Since enrollment in online classes is not limited by the constraints of a physical site, BPN computes subscription fees as follows:  If you publish a maximum number of participants for each session, your fee is based on the maximum you can concurrently accommodate at any one time (view subscription fee levels.) If your classes do not have a published maximum enrollment, your fee is $250 per year.