What this program for makers building businesses is doing to be mom-friendly

Over the summer, Moms as Entrepreneurs cofounders Tammira Lucas and Jasmine Simms said they were developing a new take on their academy for 2018 after receiving a grant from Etsy.
With the launch coming up in March, more details on the program for maker moms are out today.
According to the organizers, The Moms as Entrepreneurs Academy at Open Works is a partnership between MAE, the Station North makerspace and Baltimore Etsy Sellers. Along with Etsy’s $25,000 grant, The Kauffman Foundation also provided an $85,000 grant over two years.
In all, the program is funded to train four groups of 8-10 women over two years.
The Academy will be a 15-week program that combines business training offered by MAE and workshops on how to set up an Etsy store. With access to the tools at the Open Works makerspace in Station North, it will also offer hands-on training in fabrication. Classes will be held for three hours once a week, and will alternate between the workshops and the fabrication training.
Anyone from Baltimore can apply, and the program is actively recruiting in the neighborhoods around Open Works including Greenmount West, Barclay, Oliver, and Johnston Square.
They’ve taken special considerations for moms. For one, childcare will be provided at Open Works.
“The class load is light and spread out to accommodate working mothers with limited free time and childcare needs,” MAE cofounder Tammira Lucas said in a statement.
She is also cofounder of The Cube, a coworking space in Towson which provides childcare. Academy participants will also get membership there. Additional partnerships with the city will allow the makers to sell at Artscape and the JFX Farmers Market.
A pair of info sessions are scheduled at Open Works to offer the community a chance to learn more:

• Jan. 22 from 6-7:30 p.m.
• Feb. 8 from 6-7:30 p.m.