Have you ever wished to have all the information you need at your fingertips? Sometimes, sifting through the information on the internet can be difficult and time consuming. Business owner extraordinaire and mother, Jennifer Clark, has compiled a directory called the Pine Belt Kid Central to connect your family to the pinebelt community.
From navigating motherhood to being a dynamic business owner, Jennifer knows all too well how difficult it can be to find resources for her children and how challenging it is to locate people to collaborate with, business wise. One day, she realized that there was no central place to find fun, family oriented events. In her desperate search for summer camps for her children, Jennifer realized how strenuous it was to locate camps that would mesh well with them. These experiences sparked her interest to create a directory. This dynamic directory started as a simple Facebook page to share relevant information. While the Facebook page was helpful, Jennifer couldn’t help but think that there was still extra work needed for this to blossom into what it needed to be. From there, the idea of a statewide directory was born.
While Mississippi has a wealth of resources, the information is oftentimes hard to locate. Searching Google and Yahoo are great, but information (especially from smaller businesses) get lost in the shuffle. Additionally, deadlines may be missed due to finding out about these events too late. The Pine Belt Kids directory stays up to date on all of the child and family friendly events within the state. Jennifer’s desired outcome for this resource is for it to be a bridge between families and businesses. “Families have a one-stop-shop and businesses/organizations have a targeted audience,” Jennifer says. The categories of the directory include:
- Extracurricular Activities
- Daycares, Preschools and After Care
- Camps
- Homeschool Resources
- Tutoring/Academic Support
- Babysitting/Childcare
- Health and Wellness for Kids
- Family Fun
- Birthday Party Resources
- Services for Families
- Shopping for Kids
- Family-Friendly Restaurants
Additionally, the directory promotes any upcoming events, job opportunities, news, and special promotions. For example, currently, there are many fall and winter themed events that are in the directory.
Although the Pine Belt Kid Central makes the lives of other Mississippians easier, Jennifer expressed that putting this together was no easy feat. “It is a constantly changing environment,” she remarked. Fulfilling this project made Jennifer realize how important having this resource is, as locating information can be a challenge. Additionally, as the world continues to evolve, so do your children and their interests. Jennifer believes that knowing the ever evolving world of marketing is key. “If you are marketing to families and kids, your target market is ever evolving as children get older and their needs and interests change.”
Having access to important information not only allows for ease in life, but it is essential to foster and establish connections between families and communities. These connections can lead to both business ventures and lifelong friendships. Thankfully, the Pine Belt Kid Central directory provides us with this opportunity. The link can be found here. If you’re looking for additional information about the Pine Belt Kids Directory, or if you would like for your event to be added to the directory, you can visit this link or contact Jennifer Clark at [email protected].
