Network gets Broomfield parents connected
By Michael Davidson Enterprise Staff Writer
Posted: 11/13/2009 09:59:17 PM MST
PARENT-CENTRIC: Cindy Gunderson, with sons Parker, 2, left, and Landon, 3, created the Broomfield Parents Network Web site and e-mail newsletter after moving to Broomfield in July. The site and e-mails provide information and reviews about local businesses and services, such as kid-friendly places. ( David Jennings )
For more information about the Broomfield Parents Network e-mail newsletter and Web site, go to www.broomfield
Moving to a new town is hard, especially for parents with young children. They need to find new pediatricians, babysitters and preschools, as well as activities and kid friendly places.
It is even more daunting if family or friends aren't available to give advice.
That's the problem Cindy Gunderson encountered in July when her family moved to Broomfield.
Gunderson, mother of 3-year-old Landon and 2-year-old Parker, turned to the Internet for help, but found the groups set up for local parents overloaded members with e-mails and updates and didn't have a good way of saving and centralizing information.
After finding other parents felt the same way, Gunderson decided to try something new and founded the Broomfield Parents Network.
The network e-mails members a free weekly newsletter with reviews and event listings, and old newsletters are archived at broomfieldparents.org. Because it is user-generated, the newsletter doesn't need to run advertisements.
"Our goal is not to make money off of the site, but to provide a valuable resource to the community through parent volunteers," Gunderson said.
Gunderson writes a short feature article every edition, but she thinks the most important part of the newsletter will be a list of questions subscribers send in looking for information about local businesses and services. Readers send answers to Gunderson, and she prints them in following editions.
In a recent edition, readers submitted tips about kid-friendly restaurants, local preschools and good veterinarians.
The network also does more than spread advice. It gives members a way to connect with each other and fosters a feeling of belonging, said Rachel Cope, who has a 3-year-old son and another child on the way.
Like Gunderson, Cope is new in town, having moved to Broomfield three months ago. She met Gunderson at the library and helped put together early editions of the newsletter.
"As a stay-at-home mom in a new town, you are suddenly very cut off," Cope said. "It gets very lonely very quickly when you let go of your old friends in your old town."
The network has helped Cope connect with new people, and she predicts others will feel the same way.
"It will be a wonderful place for meeting new moms and building support. It's like your own little online community," Cope said.
Finding parents intrigued by the idea hasn't been hard, Gunderson said. The newsletter was started in October and now has 40 subscribers and is adding five to 10 members per week. Its only publicity has been word of mouth and fliers posted at the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library and the Paul Derda Recreation Center.
The inspiration for the network is a similar organization in the San Francisco Bay area, where Gunderson lived while her husband was in dental school. The Berkeley Parents Network has more than 25,000 members and publishes 10 to 12 e-mail newsletters a week, according to its Web site.
"I used it for everything. It was my resource for finding everything from preschools to hair stylists," Gunderson said.
Gunderson has more modest ambitions for the Broomfield site. As membership grows she would like to put out three newsletters, with one dedicated to reviews and recommendations, one for members to sell or swap stuff and one to discuss upcoming events and kid-friendly places.
Broomfield Parents Network on Channel 7 News: