Happity, the UK’s only platform that’s dedicated exclusively to parent and child classes, is a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of new parents every single year. The popular parenting directory, which reaches a million parents each year and lists over 8000 weekly activities, has now expanded to reach even more parents in need across the UK.
This month saw Happity expand to 17 cities, making the total it covers 20. New cities, which include Birmingham, Nottingham and Leeds, will now be available to browse on the directory (with local businesses being able to list for free), with a specific focus on free and cheap activities that are taking place in public buildings, such as libraries and churches. With the cost of living crisis a real threat for many new parents, the co-founders (Sara Tateno and Emily Tredget) are keen to ensure that they raise awareness of the free or low-cost support networks available for new parents by allowing parents to select the ‘Under £2’ filter to quickly locate free and low-cost activities in their area.
” As mums ourselves we know how important these classes are for socialisation and development, not to mention the community building for parents which is key for mental health. That’s why we have focused on listing as many free and cheap activities in our newly launched cities; so everyone can find something to do with their child” says co-founder Emily Tredget.
This accolade is one of many accomplishments since mums Sara and Emily created the platform, driven by the loneliness and postnatal depression they experienced in the early days of becoming a mum. Despite having no tech experience, mum of two Sara was determined to solve a real problem that she and many other mums were facing-the facts there was no technology out there for parents to quickly find and book baby classes nearest to them. Retraining as a web developer and navigating shared parental leave with her 5-month-old baby, the platform Happity was born to connect parents to local services and playgroups.
The platform is also known for its efforts to support maternal mental health; campaigning during the pandemic to allow access to vital parent and child classes, as well as calling the government to support the baby and toddler activity industry. This saw them being nominated for a Your UK Parliament award for their efforts in changing legislation to allow these groups to stay open.
More about Happity:
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Happity is a baby and toddler directory which allows parents to easily navigate and book local classes, supporting both their baby’s development and their own mental health.
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Happity supports local businesses (many of whom are mums) through offering parenting groups and classes the option to list for free or become a paid member.
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Parents from 20 cities can also sign up to Happity’s newsletter to receive info on bespoke classes near them.
More about Happity
Happity is the UK’s only exclusive parenting platform for those under 5. It has just been awarded the Small Biz 100, adding to previous accolades of being nominated for the petition campaign of the year award and being on the Women in the software power list. In July 2022, they successfully completed a crowdfunding campaign to raise over £660k of investment for the platform. Founders Emily and Sara are on hand to talk about a range of parenting-related subjects such as mental health, maternal and parental discrimination flexibility.
Featured Photo by Kelli McClintock on Unsplash
