a peek inside the fishbowl

I appreciate it when companies make my life easier in a way that make sense to me. That’s why I’m very pleased to welcome a new patron to the Fishbowl, it’s a website, nay, a mini-social media empire (!) called Help We’ve Got Kids. HWGK is a comprehensive directory focused solely on families, parents and caregivers. It was originally established on 1994 as a print resource and they’ve been growing ever since. HWGK has been online since 2000 in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Kitchener and Hamilton, and now… drumroll please… they’re starting to build their listings in Ottawa too. Woot!

At the moment HWGK is still largely focused on their founding markets, but it’s growing. If you are a parent in the Toronto area there are thousands of listings to help you find everything you need… whether it’s a birthday party-related business, information about fun family outings, art classes, day camps, and much more. Here’s the best part: listings can be searched by age, area or keyword and they also include comments so you can see what other parents have said about these places too.

Think about what that means, especially as it pertains to things like birthday parties and camps. To have it all in one place is a huge time-saver.

As for Ottawa parents, well, we are going to have to wait a bit as our part of this parenting resource is just being developed as I type. In the meantime, local kid and parent-related businesses might be interested in adding themselves to the site here. (A basic listing is free.)

HWGK has recently started to add blogs and articles from their Help Posse to answer questions they get from parents on a daily basis. And an extra bonus, the site offers contests, deals and a weekly newsletter to keep moms and dads informed about what is going on in their area. I’ve signed up, and you should too! And don’t forget to check them out on Facebook and on Twitter too. Their information is great. For example, here’s a helpful video they produced (starring co-owner Tracie Wagman!) about loot bags (a perennial issue of mine).

I’m wondering… what kind of listings would be most valuable to you as a parent? Party places in Ottawa? Kiddy hair salons? Organizations that offer after-school care and camps? If you have suggestions (or favourites that deserve priority listing!) I’d love to hear them.

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