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Finding - and Filling - a Niche in Publishing
Giza began the publication out of her home more than 15 years ago, frustrated at the lack of information available to parents. "I was looking for things for my children to do -- story hours at the library, gymnastics, dance classes," says Giza, whose three children ranged in age from one to seven years old at the time. "It wasn't easy to find." "I felt there needed to be a consistent way of getting that information," she adds. Giza mentioned her concerns to her pediatrician. He agreed that there was a need for such a publication and gave her $500 to get started. The first issue was only 12 pages with 10,000 copies printed for distribution. Today, Baltimore's Child has an average of 64 pages and a print run of 65,000. And it is readily embraced by parents. "Baltimore's Child is a reference guide you can turn to for a variety of reasons -- whether you're trying to choose a preschool or private school, trying to plan a birthday party or select a summer camp or are looking for resources for a special needs child," says Giza, who, along with her staff, continues to operate Baltimore's Child as a home-based business. "We speak to the everyday, practical life with children." The Gizas are, by the way, a UMBC family. Joanne, who majored in English, finished second in her class to her husband James, a history major. Their daughter, Emily '96, majored in dance. |
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"Baltimore's Child is the hardest child I've had to raise," says
Joanne Giza '71, editor of the free monthly publication found in grocery stores, bookstores, and toy stores throughout the Baltimore area. But that's not to say it hasn't been
a labor of love.
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