RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Two parent-focused startups in the Triangle are joining forces — leveraging a market appetite for sustainable toys to get on-demand parent education into parents’ hands.
Durham-based Tiny Earth Toys, the subscription toy rental named a Triangle Business Journal “Startup to Watch” in 2022, will now offer its customers access to parenting classes — through a partnership with the RTP-based education company Nurtured Nest.
Nurtured Nest, which was awarded $50k in the 2022 NC IDEA SEED grant cycle, provides on-demand parenting classes on topics like infant safety and picky eating, according to the company’s website.
Kathryn Dunn, CEO of Nurtured Nest, shared with TechWire that, up to this point, the classes have been offered directly to families through medical providers and hospitals.
But thanks to this new partnership, the classes will also be available through Tiny Earth Toys — starting this week.
Removing the stigma
“The classes from Nurtured Nest are what I wish I had when I started my parenting journey,” said Rachael Classi, CEO of Tiny Earth Toys, in the press release announcing the partnership on Thursday. “Led by truly exceptional leaders in early childhood health and education, you will walk away with new knowledge to help you in your parenting journey.”
Dunn believes that partnering with Tiny Earth Toys will help change the conversation about “parenting classes.”
“Parents don’t always know they need education on a variety of topics around children and parenting. In fact, taking a parenting class is often interpreted as a weakness or something that isn’t needed,” said Dunn. “By exposing parents to our education through a company like Tiny Earth, we are able to help parents see the value of parent education, especially in our on-demand format.”
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Female founders in the early childhood space
Dunn also shared with TechWire that she originally bonded with Classi over the similarities in their startups’ missions.
“Rachael and I met this spring as Triangle-based female-founded startups in the early childhood space,” Dunn told TechWire in an exclusive interview. “Almost immediately, we felt it was important to join forces to amplify the impact of our products.”
In the press release, Dunn shared her vision for the partnership as a way to help more parents.
“I’m excited to continue showing families what good information, curated to fit their needs, will do to increase your confidence and overall enjoyment of parenting!” said Dunn.
