Berkeley Parents Network

This is an awful resource for information! In addition to having incorrect information on their website, they don’t even fix it when notified and do not respond to emails. That’s unacceptable. This behavior is highly inappropriate for a website aiming to provide information. They really need to rethink their approach to dealing with feedback and check their sources big time.

As a holistic healthcare provider I find it unconscionable that BPN absolutely monitors every health post and eliminates posts of holistic providers whose opinion BPN doesn’t share – yes, very strong agenda. For that reason, parents seeking help with their childs/​their own health issues are only getting conventional medical referrals. This is wrong.
We all deserve to learn and know about everything that’s out there. In fact, when one of my satisfied patients wrote a positive response to a BPN inquiry about my work THE MONITOR put his 2 cents in, stating it couldn’t possibly work!

BPN has some merit but health issues are not in the scope. I would use it for housecleaners, etc.
Regarding health, BPN’s pov’s so very skewed that several of us holistic providers are considering starting our own version of this forum so people can learn about their options which do no harm with regard to health issues.

I thought BPN was a great little network for parents to see what other parents thought. That was until I tried writing a negative review for my son’s preschool. Apparently they do not post unsolicited negative reviews! This means you are not getting an accurate representation of anything from other parents… you are only reading positive reviews. That is not helpful in my opinion

BPN was a more useful resource when it included peoples’ negative reviews along with the positive ones. Since they stopped doing that (I believe they feared getting sued), all East Bay consumers get is the rah-​rah version of a given business. That can be a disservice to consumers. In fact, it’s how I almost hired a real dud spud to clean and stain my redwood deck. Thank God I ultimately checked the guy out on Unilocal,where his only review was a single-​star one – which matched my experience with him, too.
That said, it’s a good place to check out a bunch of likely candidates, which you can then narrow down here on Unilocal.Cast your net widely there, and then narrowly here.

This is a really great community resource! I have used it since I moved to the Bay Area in 2000 to find everything from child care to doctors to music teachers, to get great child raising advice, and as a place to give away gently used items. No, it is not perfect. Are there some biased or even crazy people? Yes, of course, but maybe not as many as you’d find on Unilocal or some other for-​profit sites. Like any other site, you read through the reviews, take the information you need and leave the rest. Since it is still a relatively small group (compared to commercial sites) in a small area, it still has that personal, community-​based feeling. I believe most people on the site are genuinely trying to help their neighbors, which is a feeling you don’t get everywhere and I for one treasure!

I used the reviews here long before I had a kid. As a parent I use BPN constantly. I have used the marketplace feature to find baby and kid clothing, toys, and a million little things that kids only need for a few months. I have also sold baby clothes and booster seats and toys, which is nice for the college fund. The reviews are useful, and I have found good summer camps and one-​off children’s programs through the ads. One thing to know: BPN does not really allow negative reviews, so you have to read between the lines. If you don’t see a lot of positive reviews about a school or dentist or whatever, or if the reviews are carefully neutral, that could mean that whatever-​it-​is is not so great. However, lots of positive reviews really do indicate a great service for families.

It just came in my mind to review about this site after what i have experienced with them. When i saw that they“BPN” are listed in Unilocal i was happy to be able to talk and write about my experience with freedom of speech!,
As i signed up to this site years ago for having access to people’s references and recommendation about every thing in town i read some one is asking about CLAREMONT hotel spa services and wanted people to advice her about the price and services in this hotel! As a person being in Berkeley parent networking site, i wrote about my unhappy and absolutely expensive service which was worth nothing, then i post it. Day after my post i have received an email from Berkeley parents what ever that they are not going to post my recommendation unless i take the CLAREMONT HOTEL name off my post… Could you believe this??? Of course i didn’t and they did not post my advice either! Well, it was sad and interesting to find out that there are stuff going on between them… who knows what but more sad to find out about the lack of DEMOCRACY in our country that it rules secretly between certain in the power. Talking about the freedom of speech, peoples truth words and recommendation, etc… this is what suppose to make this site to excite, run, be popular and held in trust! Let me tell you;IT IS NOT! Yes they will post what they want to post, what it may not hurt them or their position but for any other individual, small business .with no power we can say every thing, they will post it. Interesting, i learned a lot after that, i don’t trust this site any more and i am very happy that there is a place for me to talk about it freely! I have written my review for CLAREMONT Hotel here for every one to read long time ago though.

This site is so out of date. Most reviews are from 4 – 5 years ago! And most of the links parents have suggested all of those years ago are no longer! I have never found this site helpful just frustrating and ending up with old information that is no longer valid. Bummer!

The BPN is a great little resource, especially if you consider it’s staffed only by volunteers. It’s been around since long before Unilocal and I think it’s still relevant, even if its UI feels a little dated compared to our beloved Unilocal.
I’m not a member, since you’re supposed to be a parent in order to join, (and I’m not,) so I haven’t posted any reviews, but I’ve used it as a resource many times over the years. I’ve been successful using BPN to find a handyman, a jeweler, and a gardener.

A support and resource for people in bay area. bought stuff– sold stuff– got advice-​gave advice. Even got a free bike when I was a student with condition that I have to wear a helmet. Been a member for past 10 years… now I have moved out of area but still browse through the topics. Kudos to the people that are running it as it has grown beyond bounds.
***Note for new subscribers: create a filter in your mailbox for the BPN newsletters– there are quite a few of them, you cant just sign to one and not others. If you don’t need a certain newsletter just filter it so it gets deleted. Keep in mind that this is managed by a few volunteers and therefore you cant have all the convenience of sophisticated mailing lists.

I would give this crap zero stars if I could. I made the mistake of connecting to this last year searching for a school for my daughter. And got sucked into the postings and actually reading them weekly. I ended my account when there were several posts and responses full of racist ideas about what was wrong with public schools. It spewed hate and some crazy white ladies tried to justify their racist views by saying that colored people where inherently violent… AHHH! just remembering this conversation pisses me off. It might be good for finding a referral for several services around the bay but I just got totally turned off from the place after this, I would not recommend it after that because the moderator is clueless and allows stupid responses to be pushed through… not worth the time

if I could give this place zero stars, I would. When I first subscribed to this network, it had maybe 3000 people. now it has maybe 20K… and the neurotic quotient has gone up sequentially. Yeah, if you are a mom trying to connect in a new environment, it might work. Or if you have a need for a doula .you’ll have no problem finding a dozen options. If, however you are a normal person hoping to make connections with other normal people who are interested in providing service to the community, then this is not your place to look. They’ve got an agenda, and it’s pretty narrow.
Since I placed this review, a representative from BPN contacted me with negative statements about Unilocal and Craigslist (which I never go on).so, my conclusion is the same… they have an agenda…

Unilocal for Parents, combined with CL. Advice about everything concerning infants & kids. Good deals on stuff for sale, and requests for things you would probably throw away. Recommendations about tradespeople. More information than you want about couples therapy, cracked nipples, ADD, and poop issues.
I got a free wooden file cabinet, just because…

The Berkeley Parents Network is an amazing resource. You don’t have to live in Berkeley or near it to benefit from the great questions and answers posted since 1993.
East Bay area specific info includes school reviews, child care, housing, neighborhoods, doctors, arts & entertainment, and much more.
Lots of more general information that is valuable to anyone with kids or in charge of kids or just trying to live life is here too-​like home maintenance tips, what to do if you think you have a mold or mildew problem, advice about pets, estate planning… etc etc etc!

Only one review for BPN? Yowsers. That’s unbelievable.
Yes, I live in Berkeley. No, I’m not yet a parent. But man, the group of users on Berkeley Parents Network (BPN for short) are rad. And one day when I am a parent, I may have to become a BPN addict (versus Unilocal… JK I will always be a Unilocal addict!). I have gotten so many referrals, so many ideas for things I’ve needed from BPN — from arborists, to personal chefs, to vendors for my wedding…
I would definitely suggest that you give it a try, especially if you live in Berkeley. That first reviewer is right — the interface is not that great looking, but it’s easy to use. And you don’t have to sign in, or anything.

This volunteer network was my go-​to referral service in the many years that I lived in the Bay Area pre-​Yelp. The Berkeley Parents Network is a group of almost 20,000 parents that post reviews for everything from gourmet restaurants to carpet cleaning to childcare. The interface isn’t spectacular but it works, and many of the reviews are a few years old but there are pretty regular updates nonetheless. If you’re looking for something specific in Berkeley and the surrounding areas, give BPN a look.