Grove is where your kid's school hangs out: one fun question a day, a forest that grows with their interests, and kids who are into the same stuff. It's built for how middle schoolers actually grow: through curiosity, friendship, and figuring out where they fit in. Positive-only, no DMs, no photos, and nothing social until you approve.
OUR STORY
It started with a 12-year-old's idea.
Grove was Ashton's idea. He's 12, and he noticed something about middle school: hundreds of kids share the same hallways all day, but there's not much they all share. He imagined something better: one kind question a day that the whole school answers together. Not nosy. Just involved enough that there's always something to talk about. Did you see today's results? Who knew half the school is into stargazing?
To find your people, he figured, you first have to find your tree. Explore the forest of interests. When something clicks, that's your tree: it starts as a sapling, grows branches as you follow it, and fills out as you go deeper. Every kid's tree grows differently. And the Grove? That's the school. All those different trees, growing side by side.
His dad is building it with him. A father-son project, designed with parents from day one, because the people who love these kids should help shape the place where they hang out.
WHY IT MATTERS AT THEIR AGE
Built for how they actually grow.
Middle school is the hardest years and the funniest ones. Kids are hilarious, dramatic, brilliant, and still figuring out who they are. It's also when they start asking the big ones: do I fit in here? Who are my people? What does everyone think? Developmental research has a name for what answers those questions: school connectedness, the sense that peers at school care about you. The CDC links it to better mental health, healthier choices, and stronger grades, with effects that last into adulthood.
Grove is designed to build exactly that: one shared daily ritual for the whole school, curiosity about each other, and a place where every kid's interests count. The hard parts of middle school are real. The fun parts should be too. Grove is here for the fun parts: kids being kids, together.
STAYING CLOSE
A window into who they're becoming.
Kids change fast. Last year's obsession is this year's "that was then." Grove documents the becoming: the living tag card shows what your kid is into right now, as it changes. Not a report card. Not surveillance. Just a window.
The hardest part of parenting a middle schooler isn't the loving. It's knowing what to ask beyond "how was school." When you can see the branch that's growing, you know where the conversation starts. Dinner-table topics, not a progress report.
HOW APPROVAL WORKS
You hold the key.
📝
1
Your kid joins in 30 seconds
They find their school and enter a first name, last initial, and grade. That's the whole identity. No full name, no photo.
📧
2
You get an email
Everything you need in one place: what Grove is, what unlocks, and one tap to approve or decline. No account to create, no forms.
🔓
3
Nothing social until you say yes
Before you approve: no polls, no classmates, nothing social, just their own little forest to poke around. After: the full experience. And Grove has no hidden corners: what your kid sees is what you see.
SAFETY, IN WRITING
The rules don't bend.
🚫
No DMs
Kids can't message each other. Period.
📵
No photos of kids
No child photos anywhere in the app.
🔒
No full names
First name + last initial. That's the whole identity.
📋
No browsable roster
There's no list of kids to scroll through.
🏆
No public rankings
No leaderboards, no popularity contests.
💬
No negative polls
Every question is positive-only, reviewed before it ships.
THE POSTCARD
Show-and-tell, not a progress report.
Kids love showing off their forest. The postcard lets them send you a moment they're proud of: a new interest, a poll they loved, a branch that grew. They choose what to share, and you can send back a 💚.
🌲
A POSTCARD FROM THE FOREST
Maya K. picked up stargazing 🔭
"This week in Maya's forest: 3 new poll votes, a growing art branch, and one very tall tree. She chose to share this with you."
Sent by Maya · You can reply with a 💚
HOW GROVE MAKES MONEY
Free for kids. No ads, ever.
The heart of Grove is free for every student: the daily question, the polls, the forest, finding their people. All of it. It will never sit behind a paywall, because belonging is not something you buy. No ads, no data selling. Not now, not ever.
Instead, parents can add extras with one simple plan, Grove Family:
☀️
More play each day
The sun shines a little longer: more interest quests to explore before the day winds down.
🎒
Bonus quest packs
Extra themed question packs beyond the daily set, for the endlessly curious.
🎨
Cosmetics
Tree styles, stickers, and forest decorations. Fun to look at, never status.
💌
Monthly postcard
A snapshot of your kid's forest, emailed to you every month. Easy to forward to family.
📖
Storybook export
Their year in the forest as a keepsake PDF to save and share.
Also available per order, whenever you want them:
📬
Mailed postcards
Real postcards in the real mail. Send one to grandma.
📚
Printed yearbook
Your kid's year in the forest, printed just for your family.
Nothing paid ever buys belonging, status, or a bigger spotlight. Money buys keepsakes and more play, never a better place in the forest. Pricing will be announced at launch.
QUESTIONS PARENTS ASK
Straight answers.
What does my kid share?
A first name, last initial, grade, and the interests they pick. Never a full name, never a photo, never contact info.
Can I see what my kid sees?
Yes. Grove has no hidden corners. The polls, results, and forest your kid sees are the same ones you see.
Will my kid feel watched?
That is exactly what Grove is designed to avoid. Nothing here is framed as monitoring: no dashboards, no alerts, no behavior reports. Your kid gets a game about becoming themselves. You get show-and-tell: the tags they earned, the branches that grew, the moments they chose to share.
Can other kids contact my kid?
No. There are no DMs, no comments about classmates, and no way to find or follow a specific kid. Those aren't missing features, they're the design.
What happens if I don't approve?
Nothing social unlocks. Your kid can poke around their interests locally, but no polls and no classmates until you say yes.
Is Grove affiliated with our school?
No. We're in private testing in Orange County and aren't affiliated with any school.
How does Grove make money?
Grove is free for every student: the daily question, the polls, the forest, finding their people. No ads, no data selling, ever. Parents can pay for extras. One plan, Grove Family, adds more daily quest play, bonus quest packs, cosmetics, a monthly emailed postcard, and a storybook export. Mailed postcards and a printed yearbook are available per order. Nothing paid buys belonging, status, or a better place in the forest.
Start it together.
Hand your kid the phone. The whole thing takes 30 seconds, and they'll take it from there. You approve with one tap.
In private testing in Orange County. Demo content is illustrative, not affiliated with any school.