# Join Macaroni KID > Macaroni KID publishers give parents the scoop on the best things to do and places to go with kids in their hometown. Join hundreds of parents publishing in 4,000+ communities across the country. Macaroni KID is a network of local publishers, each running a hyper-local e-newsletter and website about family-friendly events and activities in their own town. This page recruits new publishers. It is operated by Macaroni KID, a CertifiKID company. ## Key facts - Communities served: 4,000+ across the United States - Families reached: more than 3,000,000 - Cost to publishers: $79 per month licensing fee. The first three months are due up front and are non-refundable. - Time commitment: a minimum of 20 hours per week - Location rule: publishers must live, work, or play within a 30-minute drive of the territory they cover - Experience required: none, though comfort with technology and social media is recommended - Territories are limited. Applicants are contacted only if there is an opening in the territory they want to cover. - This is not a "get rich quick," MLM, or direct-sales business. ## What a publisher does - **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. - **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. - **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. - **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. - **Host the fun, in real life**: Organize local events, host awards, and appear on local media to champion family‑friendly fun in your backyard. ## What publishers get - **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. - **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. - **Work with names families already know.**: Participate in national advertising campaigns in exchange for compensation and free products. - **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. - **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. National brand campaigns have included Mattel, Crayola, Target, Walt Disney, Kraft-Heinz, Dannon, Universal, American Girl, Ritz. ## Minimum qualifications - **An entrepreneurial mindset**: This isn't a traditional job with a salary. You're building your own business and your own income. - **Excellent communication**: You 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 & video**: Ability to take strong photos and videos, plus basic photo and video editing skills. - **Tech & social comfort**: Comfort with Facebook and Instagram, and access to a PC or Mac to run your business. - **Community-minded**: Demonstrated knowledge of, and engagement in, the kid and family space in your area. - **Within 30 minutes of your territory**: We 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. ## Ongoing requirements - **At least 20 hours a week**: A 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. - **Publish every week**: A hyper‑local e‑newsletter and events calendar every week, featuring family‑friendly events, activities and programming in your community. - **Write and post regularly**: Articles each month featuring family‑friendly content, plus regular social media activity to connect with your readers. - **Market your business locally**: Reach out to local businesses and organizations to partner on advertising campaigns. - **A commitment to inclusion**: Honor the rich diversity of both the publisher community and your own by producing diverse and inclusive content and images. - **Pay the monthly licensing fee**: This provides access to a turnkey website and email platform, comprehensive training and resources, and the license to use the Macaroni KID brand and trademarks. ## How to apply 1. **Check you qualify**: Confirm you meet the minimum qualifications above and are willing to fulfil the publisher requirements. 2. **Fill out the application**: We 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 interview**: A short call with a member of our Macaroni KID Publisher Development Team. 4. **Sign and get set up**: Submit your Macaroni KID License Agreement and pay your first three months of licensing fees. 5. **Train with us**: Attend the New Publisher Training Webinar and complete the training curriculum within your first three months. Applications are submitted through JotForm: https://form.jotform.com/macaroni_kid/publisher-application ## Background 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. - **2019**: CertifiKID appeared on Shark Tank, securing a $600K investment from Kevin O’Leary and expanding its family‑friendly deals nationwide. - **August 2020**: Macaroni KID was acquired by CertifiKID, widely recognised as one of the best deal websites for parents. - **Today**: Together we are one of the largest parent‑focused digital media and advertising companies in the country, reaching millions of families nationwide. ## FAQ ### What exactly is Macaroni KID? 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. ### What does a Macaroni KID publisher actually do? 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. ### Do I have to live in the community I cover? 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. ### How much does it cost to get started? 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. ### How do I earn money, and how much will I make? 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. ### How much time does this take each week? 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. ### Is experience required? 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. ### Do I need any special software or equipment? 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. ### What training do I get? 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. ### Are there press trips? 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. ## Links - [Join Macaroni KID](https://joinmacaronikid.com/): this page, the publisher recruitment site - [Publisher application](https://form.jotform.com/macaroni_kid/publisher-application): the live application form - [Macaroni KID](https://macaronikid.com/): the consumer-facing network of local sites - [CertifiKID](https://www.certifikid.com): the parent company - [Privacy policy](https://www.certifikid.com/pages/privacy) --- Headline on the page: "Be the go-to resource for family fun in your hometown." Last generated at build time from src/data/site.ts.