Hi there. We are real-life East Bay parents dedicated to finding fun things to do with kids in our local area. After five years of parenting in Berkeley, we found no single resource that allowed us to find the best things to do with our children on a need-to-know basis. We created 510families.com in March 2010 in the hopes that it would grow into that resource. And we LOVE to see how this website has grown to become a go-to reference for other parents in the Oakland area.
How 510families.com works
What’s great for families in the East Bay
We write articles that we think will be insanely useful to our readers, fellow Bay Area caregivers; it goes in the main editorial column. We will always tell you if the post is inspired by or paid for by a sponsor. We focus on family-friendly outings, Bay Area day trips, and the things parents need in their daily lives, such as kid-friendly restaurants, camps, classes, and birthday parties. We also produce seasonal guides for holidays and neighborhood guides.
What can I do with my kid today?
On our Events Calendar pages, you’ll find listings for each day of the week. We try really hard to only include drop-in activities that don’t require registration. The calendar is designed to answer the question “What should I do with my kid today?”
Every Wednesday, we post a list of the top ten picks for the weekend.
Readers can sign up for our email newsletter. On Fridays, we send out the link to the aforementioned Weekend Planner, along with links to anything else we published that week — just in case you forgot to visit the website.
Finally, we share and receive tips from other caregivers on social media. Our Facebook group is for East Bay parents and caregivers (not organizations who want to advertise to them) and we love learning about where you all spend your time on Instagram. (Use hashtag #510families to show us the places you visit!)
About Our Part of the East Bay
{510} Families is based in the traditional, unceded territory of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe, the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, and the Miwok, Me-Wuk, and Karkin people. We have a collective responsibility to educate ourselves about the history of this land and assert the sovereign rights of its First Peoples. Read our full land acknowledgment.
About Heather & Whitney
Heather grew up near Cleveland, OH, eating Wonder Bread, Twinkies, and other things that she would never let her Berkeley-bred three children touch. Well, maybe on Halloween. She is an enthusiastic user of public transportation, bicycles, and compost bins.
Whitney is originally from West Los Angeles, which is not too different from Rockridge, but there are more parking spaces. She worked at LeapFrog as a marketing manager for many years, and she and Heather turned their blogging hobby into a business with the launch of this site. She has a son and a daughter and a huge box of costumes that can be enjoyed by any children who come to play with them.
We are also the authors of The Rookie Mom’s Handbook and Stuff Every Mom Should Know. And, like you, we are parents in the East Bay (510, get it?).
How can you help us?
If you spend a lot of time with children in the East Bay, we hope you’ll share your best tips with us. Share any upcoming events by filling out the form here. And tell your friends (facebook and real life!).
You can also follow 510families on Twitter or Instagram and use hashtag #510families to participate in real-time information exchange between East Bay parents. Contact Us at info@510families.com. We are a very small operation. We will try to get back to you quickly if you send us a message that requires a response. Thanks for visiting!
