Your kid's teacher emails you every week.
Most parents miss half of them.
BackpackBuddy watches teacher emails, pulls out homework, events, and deadlines, and puts them straight on your calendar. You don't change anything. Far fewer things slip through.
Free during beta · No credit card · We'll email you before anything changes at launch
We only read email from teacher addresses you choose, and we don't keep your emails: we extract the homework and event details, then discard the message. Why Google shows an "unverified app" screen during beta →
Emma, Mrs. Johnson
Module 4, Lesson 37 + Read for 10 minutes
HomeworkEmma, Mrs. Johnson
Library Book Exchange, bring books!
School EventJack, Mr. Davis
Permission slip due Friday for field trip
Due SoonNewsletter attached
Week of 4/7–4/11 saved to Google Drive
AttachmentWatch a normal Tuesday night become one clean digest
This is a real BackpackBuddy week, replayed as a mockup, not a screenshot. (Real digest-email and Google Calendar screenshots are coming in a follow-up update.)
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Mrs. Johnson, Emma's teacher
Reminder: Pajama Day is this Friday!
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DealsDaily
50% off everything, this weekend only
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Mr. Davis, Jack's teacher
Permission slip due Wednesday, aquarium trip
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ShipFast
Your package is on the way
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Mrs. Johnson, Emma's teacher
Don't forget: Picture Day is Thursday
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Weekly Roundup
Re: Re: Fwd: you have to see this
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Lincoln Elementary Library
Book Fair opens Monday
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SocialApp
You have 3 new notifications
Lincoln Elementary Library
Book Fair opens Monday
Added to calendarJack, Mr. Davis
Permission slip due Wednesday
Added to calendarEmma, Mrs. Johnson
Picture Day is Thursday
Added to calendarEmma, Mrs. Johnson
Pajama Day is Friday
Added to calendarReal families are already trusting BackpackBuddy to catch permission slips, pajama days, picture days, and book fairs.
Here's how BackpackBuddy works
Connect Your Email
Sign in with Google. Tell us your kids' teacher email addresses. That's it.
We Watch Teacher Emails
Our AI scans teacher emails daily, extracts homework, events, deadlines, and saves attachments.
Calendar + Digest
Events appear on your Google Calendar. You get one clean summary, everything you need, nothing you don't.
Everything on autopilot
Set it up once. Never worry about missing school stuff again.
Every event lands on the calendar, automatically
Homework, field trips, picture day, permission slips due, all created on your Google Calendar the same evening the email arrives. Each child gets their own calendar, so multiple kids across different teachers and schools never get mixed up.
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Saved
Permission_Slip_FieldTrip.pdf
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Saved
Newsletter_Week12.pdf
Permission slips and newsletters, saved for you
PDFs and worksheets your teacher attaches get saved straight to Google Drive and linked to the matching calendar event, so you're never digging back through your inbox to find one again.
One clean digest, every evening
A single email with everything your kids need for tomorrow. Processed teacher emails get archived automatically, so your inbox stays as tidy as your calendar. We don't keep the emails themselves, only the homework and event details we extract.
"Built by a dad in Maryland who got tired of finding out about pajama day on Friday morning."
See it before you connect anything
Not ready to connect Google? We'll email you one pre-built sample digest, so you can see exactly what BackpackBuddy sends every evening.
Simple pricing, free while we're in beta.
BackpackBuddy is free during beta, no card. The prices below are what you'll pay when we publicly launch.
Basic
For one child
free during beta · price at launch
- 1 child · 1 teacher
- Daily email scan
- Auto calendar events
- Daily digest email
- Archive or keep in inbox
Family
For busy families
free during beta · price at launch
- Up to 3 children
- Multiple teachers per child
- PDF attachments → Google Drive
- Daily digest email
- 14-day catchup on signup
- Priority support
Premium
Power families
free during beta · price at launch
- Unlimited children
- Multiple teachers per child
- PDF attachments → Google Drive
- Morning + evening scans
- Co-parent digest (2nd recipient)
- Weekly summary email
- 30-day catchup on signup
- Priority support
Not sure it's the right fit? See how BackpackBuddy compares to Sense, Gether & Maple →
Questions parents ask
Does my kid's school need to use a specific app?
Nope. BackpackBuddy works with plain email, whatever your teacher already sends. No school adoption needed.
Is my email data safe?
We don't keep your emails. We scan messages from the teacher addresses you choose, pull out the homework and event details (those are saved to your account so we can build your calendar and digest), and discard the rest. The extraction itself runs on Anthropic's Claude AI, which processes the email content to do the job and, under Anthropic's current API terms, doesn't use your data to train AI models. We use Google's official OAuth, so we never see your password.
What if my teacher uses ClassDojo or Remind instead of email?
Right now we work with email (which most teachers still use heavily). ClassDojo and Remind support is on our roadmap.
Can both parents get the digest?
Yes! On the Family plan, both parents can receive the daily summary. Same events, same calendar, both in the loop.
What if my kids are at different schools?
No problem. Each child can have a different teacher, grade, and school. BackpackBuddy tracks them all separately.
How long does setup take?
About 2 minutes. Click "Get Started Free," sign in with Google, add your kids' teacher emails, done. Your first scan runs that same evening at 9 PM.
I have an iPhone, will it work with Apple Calendar?
Yes! BackpackBuddy creates a dedicated calendar for each child in your Google Calendar, which syncs automatically to your iPhone's built-in Calendar app. Just make sure your Google account is connected in Settings → Calendar → Accounts → Google. No extra apps needed.
Do I need the Google Calendar app?
Nope. The native Apple Calendar or any calendar app that syncs with Google will show your BackpackBuddy events. Android users see them instantly in Google Calendar.
What if my child gets a new teacher or we switch schools?
Just log into your dashboard, edit or remove the old teacher, and add the new one. Takes 30 seconds. Your calendar history stays, and the new teacher's emails start flowing in right away.
Can I manage my account myself?
Absolutely. Your dashboard lets you add or remove children, update teacher emails, change your Google account, manage your subscription, and delete your account, all self-service, anytime.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel from your dashboard or the Stripe billing portal, no questions asked, no hoops to jump through. During our free beta there's nothing to pay and nothing to cancel; at public launch, plans are month-to-month with no commitment.
Why does Google show an "unverified app" screen?
We're in the middle of an independent security review (CASA, based on OWASP's ASVS Level 2 standard) before Google fully verifies our app for production use. Until that review wraps up, Google shows a plain "unverified app" warning screen during sign-in. This is expected during our beta and is not a sign anything is wrong. Tap "Advanced," then "Go to backpackbuddy.app," and continue as normal. The screen disappears once Google completes our verification.
Stop missing school stuff.
Set up in 3 minutes, connect your Google account and tell us your kids' teacher emails. That's it.
We only read emails from addresses you give us, nothing else in your inbox, ever.
Join the Free Beta →
Free during beta · No credit card · Your emails and calendar stay in your Google account.
Already have an account? Sign in →
Not ready to connect? See a sample digest first ↓