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Be the go‑to resource
for family fun in your
hometown.

Macaroni KID publishers provide parents the scoop on the best things to do and places to go with kids in their hometown. Join our network of hundreds of parents and grandparents producing hyper‑local content in more than 4,000 communities across the country.

Apply to publish See what publishers do
★Weekly e‑newsletter
+ local calendar
20hper week
on average
4,000+
Communities
3,000,000+
Families reached
Nation’s largest
Single publishing platform for local family fun
What a publisher does

You run the
community brief everyone
already wants to read.

Macaroni KID publishers
A publisher's job is to stay on top of the kid‑friendly events, activities, businesses and organizations in their town, and to get the word out to local families.
01

Publish a weekly e‑newsletter

Curate a hyper‑local newsletter and events calendar every week, packed with the family‑friendly events, activities, and programming in your community.

A publisher preparing the weekly newsletter
02

Write stories families actually read

Articles each month featuring family‑friendly content and the best things to do and places to go with kids in your community.

A publisher writing a local story
03

Be the voice on social

Use social media to connect with your readers and get the word out about the best things to do and places to go with kids near them.

A publisher sharing local fun on social media
04

Partner with local businesses

Market your Macaroni KID business to local businesses and organizations, and partner with them on advertising campaigns and sponsored community events like summer camp expos, preschool fairs and mom proms.

A publisher meeting a local business owner
05

Host the fun, in real life

Organize local events, host awards, and appear on local media to champion family‑friendly fun in your backyard.

A publisher hosting a community event
The publisher perks

Build a business
around your family,
not the other way around.

Macaroni KID publishers
A flexible digital media business you run from home, with a whole network rooting for you.
Work-life balance
Yours
You choose the hours and you create the content.
Run a flexible, home‑based business that lets you earn money, build your resume, and spend time with your family, on your own terms.
Freebies, barters & goodies
Trade editorial coverage for the stuff your family actually uses.
Kids birthday parties and classes, tickets to shows and events, right up to big expenses like orthodontia and school tuition.
Brand partnerships
Work with names families already know.
Participate in national advertising campaigns in exchange for compensation and free products.
Training & resources
21st‑century skills, on tap.
Comprehensive training in advertising, social media, content creation, and business management. All of it stays marketable far beyond your Macaroni KID role.
Community
Hundreds of publishers. One group chat you actually enjoy.
Monthly webinars, yearly press trips, and a three‑day annual conference where publishers connect, laugh, and learn ways to enhance their business.
Meet some of our brand partners

As a Macaroni KID publisher you can take part in national brand campaigns in exchange for compensation and/or free products and services from companies like these.

  • Mattel
  • Crayola
  • Target
  • Walt Disney
  • Kraft-Heinz
  • Dannon
  • Universal
  • American Girl
  • Ritz
A publisher and her children with Minnie and Mickey Mouse at Disney On Ice
A girl on a porch swing with a Keds shoebox, wearing new white Keds
A family being handed a Mia and the White Lion plush toy and tote bag
A publisher in a grocery aisle holding boxes of belVita breakfast sandwiches
A parent reading an I Can Read! Berenstain Bears book with her son
Two children holding delighted by dessert tubs beside a hand-lettered #MKdelighted sign
Three girls in mermaid swimsuits by a pool with a mermaid doll in its box
A girl with a Creativity for Kids unicorn purse craft kit and the purse she made

Publishers and their families on recent national campaigns

Publisher stories

Hundreds of moms & dads
already doing the thing
you’re thinking about doing.

Macaroni KID publishers at a meet-up
Real quotes from real publishers: the “why I joined” and “what I love most” you’d actually ask them about over coffee.
No. 01 / Publisher
“I became a Macaroni KID Publisher because I have a passion for helping businesses and wanted to be the resource in my community, schools, businesses and more.”
Publisher Veronica Leon
Veronica Leon
N. Scottsdale–PV, AZ
No. 02 / Publisher
“I love having the opportunity to host sponsored events for our rural area that otherwise wouldn’t be available to these families. And I love being able to do ticket giveaways for some amazing events, like Disney on Ice and Monster Jam, and attractions our local families wouldn’t have been able to afford to see otherwise.”
Publisher Celia Even
Celia Even
Cedar Falls, IA
No. 03 / Publisher
“I started my edition initially to advertise a franchise I owned. My edition was embraced as a need by the community and grew so quickly that I left that franchise to run Macaroni KID on a full‑time basis. It was the best decision of my life!”
Publisher Julie Dikken
Julie Dikken
Evergreen, CO
No. 04 / Publisher
“When I hear a fellow parent tell me that they appreciate something I’ve worked hard on, it makes my day. Also, when I hear a business happy that they’ve connected with new customers, I know it’s working.”
Publisher Helen Partlow
Helen Partlow
Port Jefferson & Mt. Sinai, NY
No. 05 / Publisher
“I joined Macaroni KID to get acclimated to a new city and to make friends. I was also a new mom at 42 years old.”
Publisher Kristen Wright Matthews
Kristen Wright Matthews
College Park, East Point & Morrow, GA
No. 06 / Publisher
“What I enjoy most about being a Publisher is being able to build a business that supports family life without the pressures and expenses of most businesses. I have been able to create my own income at my own pace while getting to enrich the lives of my family.”
Publisher Gillian Pridgen
Gillian Pridgen
Coral Springs & Boca Raton, FL
No. 07 / Publisher
“I am pretty obsessed with Macaroni KID. It has afforded me opportunities I would have NEVER imagined for myself and my kids. You will never find a better community of co‑workers either. It’s rewarding work and I find it very fulfilling professionally, all while working from home and actually being there for my kids.”
Publisher Annmarie Mitchell
Annmarie Mitchell
Gig Harbor, Tacoma & Snoqualmie, WA
· A week in the life ·
Publishers together at the annual conference
Families gathered in costume at a publisher-hosted community event
Publishers in Macaroni KID shirts with SpongeBob and Patrick
Publishers in Macaroni KID shirts on an annual press trip
A publisher hosting a tasting event for a local family
A story time session for local families at a community learning space
Publishers holding Macaroni KID tote bags at the annual conference
Publishers gathered poolside at the annual conference
Is it for you?

If this sounds like
you, we should talk.

No experience required, but a few things set successful publishers apart. Here is the honest list, fee included.
Minimum qualifications
  • An entrepreneurial mindsetThis isn't a traditional job with a salary. You're building your own business and your own income.
  • Excellent communicationYou can talk to business owners and write articles and reviews about local businesses, attractions and events. A writing sample is required as part of the application.
  • Great photos & videoAbility to take strong photos and videos, plus basic photo and video editing skills.
  • Tech & social comfortComfort with Facebook and Instagram, and access to a PC or Mac to run your business.
  • Community-mindedDemonstrated knowledge of, and engagement in, the kid and family space in your area.
  • Within 30 minutes of your territoryWe require every publisher to live, work, or play within a 30‑minute drive of the territory they cover. Publishers are not successful unless they are genuinely part of the community they serve.
What we ask of you
  1. At least 20 hours a weekA minimum of 20 hours per week to devote to building and running your Macaroni KID business. The more hours you can devote, the quicker your business will grow.
  2. Publish every weekA hyper‑local e‑newsletter and events calendar every week, featuring family‑friendly events, activities and programming in your community.
  3. Write and post regularlyArticles each month featuring family‑friendly content, plus regular social media activity to connect with your readers.
  4. Market your business locallyReach out to local businesses and organizations to partner on advertising campaigns.
  5. A commitment to inclusionHonor the rich diversity of both the publisher community and your own by producing diverse and inclusive content and images.
  6. Pay the monthly licensing feeThis provides access to a turnkey website and email platform, comprehensive training and resources, and the license to use the Macaroni KID brand and trademarks.
What it costs
$79 per month. Your first three months are due up front to cover the administrative costs of onboarding a new publisher, and are non‑refundable even if you leave before that three‑month period ends. Beyond the licensing fee, there are no other required start‑up costs paid to Macaroni KID.
A note on time
Time commitment varies based on your goals and how much you wish to earn. On average, publishers spend about 20 hours a week on their business, and the commitment is greatest in the first few months while you train.
Our story

Answering one question,
4,000 towns at a time.

“Mama, what are we doing today?”

Macaroni KID is the nation’s largest single publishing platform answering that question for more than 3,000,000 families in 4,000+ communities across the country.

Each Macaroni KID community is managed by a local publisher, a parent or caregiver who publishes weekly, hyper‑local e‑newsletters and websites featuring events, activities, products and places for parents, kids and families. They host local events and parties, and connect with their communities on social media.

They enrich their towns by connecting local families with the libraries, schools, rec centers, community centers and all the organizations and businesses that create programming and fun for kids. Simply put, Macaroni KID publishers are the go‑to parents in their communities. They know their local communities, and their local communities know them.

Macaroni KID publishers on an annual press trip
  1. 2019
    CertifiKID appeared on Shark Tank, securing a $600K investment from Kevin O’Leary and expanding its family‑friendly deals nationwide.
    Read the story
  2. August 2020
    Macaroni KID was acquired by CertifiKID, widely recognised as one of the best deal websites for parents.
    Visit CertifiKID
  3. Today
    Together we are one of the largest parent‑focused digital media and advertising companies in the country, reaching millions of families nationwide.
How to apply

Start your
application.

The application takes about 10 minutes, including a short writing sample. Here is what happens from there.

  1. Check you qualifyConfirm you meet the minimum qualifications above and are willing to fulfil the publisher requirements.
  2. Fill out the applicationWe will contact you if there is an opening for a publisher in the territory you would like to cover and your skills and qualifications match what we are looking for.
  3. Have a 15-minute interviewA short call with a member of our Macaroni KID Publisher Development Team.
  4. Sign and get set upSubmit your Macaroni KID License Agreement and pay your first three months of licensing fees.
  5. Train with usAttend the New Publisher Training Webinar and complete the training curriculum within your first three months.
Macaroni KID publishers at a family event
Open the application

The application opens on JotForm in a new tab.

Frequently asked

The questions almost
every new publisher asks.

These are the questions we hear most, with plain answers and no fine print.

Macaroni KID is a free weekly newsletter and website that delivers news on all the kid and family‑friendly events going on in your community. From movie listings to junior play writing, from ballroom dancing to PAL basketball, from sailing classes to origami, you can find all the amazing events happening in your own backyard on Macaroni KID.

A publisher is the go‑to resource for family fun in their community. It is their job to stay on top of all the kid‑friendly events, activities, businesses and organizations in their area, and to get the word out to local families. They do this by producing weekly, hyper‑local e‑newsletters, updating their websites with events and articles they write, managing their social media channels, hosting local events and parties, and selling advertising packages to local businesses.

We require all of our publishers to live, work, or play within a 30‑minute drive of their territory. Experience has shown that publishers are not successful unless they are connected with and ingrained in the community they serve.

The licensing fee is $79 per month. Your first three months are due up front to cover the administrative costs of onboarding a new publisher, and are non‑refundable even if you leave Macaroni KID before that three‑month period ends. Other than the monthly licensing fee, there are no other required start‑up costs paid to Macaroni KID. Each publisher handles their own finances and accounts payable and receivable.

Publishers earn in a variety of ways: selling digital advertising packages to local businesses and organizations, hosting sponsored community events like summer camp expos, preschool fairs and mom proms, and participating in national advertising campaigns run by Macaroni KID HQ. Publishers also barter with businesses in their territory for free products and services in exchange for a review or other coverage. What you earn varies by territory and depends on your goals and the time you can devote. A Macaroni KID business is not a “get rich quick,” MLM, or direct‑sales business.

A minimum of 20 hours per week to devote to building and running your Macaroni KID business. The commitment is greatest during the first few months while you train and get familiar with the ins and outs of your new business. Many publishers keep it closer to part‑time once their site is established; others put in more hours to grow faster.

No experience is required, but a basic comfort level with technology and social media is recommended. People who are comfortable networking and with sales outreach are more likely to succeed in growing and monetizing their Macaroni KID business.

You can work from any Mac or PC, as long as you can get online to access the Macaroni KID platform. The site is easy to use and built for all technical abilities. It helps to be comfortable with social media, especially Facebook and Instagram, so you can connect with the families in your community and the advertisers you want to collaborate with.

Our training includes ongoing professional development in advertising, social media, content creation, and business management. These are marketable skills that apply far beyond your role as a publisher. We will also connect you with our Publisher Development Team to answer questions and walk you through the first few months.

Yes. Publishers have the opportunity to take part in press trips throughout the year at destinations both within and outside the United States. Press trips typically include complimentary accommodations, and sometimes meals and activities at the destination.