As a busy working mother, I’m always looking for ways to give my kids “more.” More as in access to activities and resources beyond school and home, and more opportunities to make friends and delve more deeply into the activities they are most excited about. Unfortunately, it takes time to research cool and fun things to do with and for your kiddos, and sometimes I don’t have the time to do the research. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an easily accessible app or platform that did that research for you? Even better, an app or platform that did it for you in a way that customized the research to match your children’s ages and interests, and identified specific providers near home? If that sounds like a great idea, then you should meet Sawyer because Sawyer can help.
What is Sawyer?
According to its website, Sawyer is an online platform that provides a convenient, all-in-one booking service for parents looking to discover and schedule activities for their children outside the classroom. Created by Marissa Evans Alden and Stephanie Choi — who connected during their time at Rent The Runway — the two Brooklyn moms were overwhelmed with the task of finding activities for their children. Providing a solution, Sawyer was born as a way to connect parents to an array of providers through their user-friendly booking tool, ensuring every child is given the opportunity to discover their own love of learning and adventure right in their own neighborhood.
Sawyer, an innovative online marketplace for parents, helps families discover an entire world of activities outside the classroom. The subscription-free platform conveniently connects parents to hundreds of the most enriching activities and programs for their children, making out-of-school education more accessible than ever at a click of a button.
Created with the belief that a child’s development continues beyond the classroom – and that all children should be given the opportunity to discover their own love of learning – Sawyer’s all-in-one platform provides parents with access to a wide range of children’s activities, from semester-long after-school classes and last-minute toddler music lessons to a range of holiday and summer camps.
The platform’s innovative technology allows families to filter providers by location, child’s age, activity type, and more to find the best local experiences. Parents can also easily create and maintain a bespoke calendar of activities for their children.
“At Sawyer, we believe it’s the early choices we make for our children that set them up for a happy, healthy and fulfilling life,” said Marissa Evans Alden, Co-Founder and CEO of Sawyer. “As a parent myself, I know the pressures of wanting to do our best by our children.
“We know that out-of-school experiences can help prepare our children for the future, but there is so much information online — it can be overwhelming, time-consuming and hard to even know where to start. Sawyer emerged from the simple idea that technology can transform how we prepare the next generation – and that starts with making the process of booking activities and education for your children as simple and seamless as possible.
“Sawyer aims to transform the way the world thinks about childhood education and is available across three major cities (New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago), with plans to expand throughout the U.S. With more than 100,000 parents enjoying the benefits, Sawyer has partnered with hundreds of providers and continues to expand their provider list every day.”
My Experience With Sawyer
Source: Sawyer/Manifest Group
For the purposes of writing this article, I was given access to the platform and I found the site is easy to navigate. You can tailor and filter any search based on a variety of criteria and the interface isn’t clunky or overwhelming, which makes for an easy and non-frustrating user experience. My only “complaint” is that Sawyer does not yet service the area where I live, but when it does, trust me it will be a game-changer for finding “more” for your children in a painless and easy way.
To learn more, visit: www.hisawyer.com. You can also find more information about Sawyer on social media: FB, IG, and Twitter