Expecting and new moms (with 0-12 month babies). We found that the prenatal through first-year stage of parenting is often the most isolating and emotionally intense. It’s a time filled with change, uncertainty, and a deep need for real connection and trustworthy support.

To make sure we can deliver meaningful value and the best experience possible, we’re starting with this group for our pilot. Once we’ve refined the platform and features based on early feedback, we may expand to include parents of older children.

We welcome anybody who identifies as a mother. We celebrate all of the ways babies are welcomed into families, including but not limited to adoption, surrogacy and carrying your child. 

For this first pilot, we’re focusing on the North Shore suburbs (Evanston, Wilmette, Glenview, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, and Highland Park - or close to one of these cities). That helps us make sure in-person meetups are accessible and truly local. If you’re outside this area, we’d still love for you to join the beta list, and you’ll be notified as we expand to your area.

Our beta launch in April 2026 will include a small group of expecting and new moms testing ParentConnect’s early features: connecting with nearby moms, joining local meetups, and sharing local parenting resources. Beta participants will share feedback, help us improve the experience, and shape the future of ParentConnect before it launches publicly.

While we hope to expand ParentConnect to all parents and caregivers in the future, for this first beta, the app is designed specifically for moms and moms-to-be. We will keep our community updated as soon as we can expand to partners, non-mom caregivers, or other types of parents.

No, the beta app is completely free. We’re focused on learning from parents and building something that truly supports you.

A few of the curated events will be paid - but everything else is no cost at this time.

The beta version is only built for iPhone use. We plan to eventually expand to Android devices, but we are a small startup and - full disclosure - it would have cost too much for us to build the app across two platforms at this stage.