Promote Community Engagement

This festive season is a perfect opportunity to strengthen ties with the local community. Lead initiatives that involve staff, students, and community members in meaningful projects. These activities can be deeply rewarding and help build stronger relationships between the school and its community.

Show Appreciation for Educators

A little appreciation can make a big difference. Make it a priority to show gratitude for the dedication and efforts of your educators. Whether it’s through personalized notes, small tokens of appreciation, or public acknowledgments in staff meetings, these gestures can significantly boost morale and reinforce their value in the school community.

Encourage Work-Life Balance

The holiday season is synonymous with rest, rejuvenation, and spending time with family and friends. Encourage your staff to fully enjoy their winter break without worrying about work. Actively encourage your staff to disconnect from work during the winter break. A well-rested educator returns to school more energized and ready to engage with students, enhancing the overall learning experience.

Foster a Culture of Learning and Innovation

The new year is a perfect time for professional growth. Motivate your principals and teachers to participate in workshops, online courses, or collaborative projects. Providing a platform for educators to share their insights with peers will not only enhance professional growth but also build a supportive and collaborative community.

Incorporating these strategies can impact not just educators, but your entire community. Reaffirm your commitment to creating a school where the joy of learning is celebrated and where your educators feel valued, supported, and inspired.

How do you educate with joy? Follow us and share your tips on social media.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Must be U.S. resident. At least 18 years old. 11/28/23 – 12/15/23.

Void where prohibited. See official rules for details.

The post Educate with Joy: Empowering District Leaders with Supportive Holiday Strategies first appeared on Age of Learning.

I am humbled and grateful for the chance that Doug and the Board have given me to carry his vision forward. Doug’s legacy will forever remain our guiding star.

Our Path Forward

As we embark on this new chapter, we must remember that there are billions of children depending on the transformative power of education. I am excited to work with the entire Age of Learning team to share and expand on our innovative, research-validated programs that are designed to address learner variability, promote equitable instruction, and accelerate learning for all children.

Our commitment to our mission is unwavering and deeply rooted in the key pillars of Research, Innovation, and Engagement to drive positive student outcomes:

• Research: Research informs every step of our development process, from concept ideation to product launch, and is guided by a team of leading experts in the fields of curriculum, instructional design, and learning technology.
• Innovation: Through innovation, we continue to create cutting-edge solutions that are designed to engage and inspire students. Built using learning analytics and data science, our programs are leading the way in learning outcomes.  
• Engagement: We recognize that true learning begins with engagement. Our programs are meticulously crafted to inspire curiosity and build confidence, and surprise, delight, captivate and, most importantly, spark a child’s love of learning.

Guided by these pillars, we will continue to measure our success via the impact our solutions have on student learning and will focus our efforts on continuously assessing, adapting, and improving our programs to address the evolving needs of today’s learners.

Through our shared commitment to excellence and steadfast belief that education has the power to change lives, we will work tirelessly to expand the reach of our educational solutions, ensuring that every child, regardless of their circumstances, can access the programs they need to flourish academically.

Age of Learning remains dedicated to Doug’s vision, and together, we will write the next chapter in our remarkable story.

Sincerely,

Alex Galvagni, CEO, Age of Learning

The post A Message from Alex Galvagni, CEO of Age of Learning first appeared on Age of Learning.

Alex’s journey with Age of Learning has spanned nearly a decade, during which time he has played an integral role in our growth and success. His deep understanding of our mission to help children everywhere build a strong foundation for academic success and a lifelong love of learning, combined with his innovative thinking and leadership skills, has been instrumental in shaping our company’s products and programs. This appointment comes in the wake of the passing of our beloved Founder, CEO, and Chairman of the Board, Doug Dohring, who leaves behind an indelible legacy of unwavering commitment to improving the lives of children through early education.

With a dedicated and experienced leadership team by Alex’s side, we are excited about the future and the opportunities to make a difference in the lives of even more children. He has been at the forefront of Age of Learning’s efforts to make education accessible and engaging for all and it is through his strategic vision and dedication that we are poised to continue Doug’s legacy of transforming education and improving the lives of children worldwide.

Read more about Alex’s vision for the future of Age of Learning here.

The post Introducing our New CEO: Alex Galvagni first appeared on Age of Learning.

In an interview with the OET, Sunil shared how Age of Learning is partnering with schools to engage in evidence-building across the different levels of ESSA-aligned evidence. Focusing on our adaptive, personalized math program My Math Academy, the case study dives into the steps Age of Learning took to validate and refine its curriculum, ensuring that every lesson aligns with rigorous academic standards. By continuously gathering and analyzing data, we’ve been able to tailor this program to better fit the needs of individual learners, from identifying gaps in understanding to pinpointing the most effective teaching techniques. Our dedication to these processes is a testament to our belief in the importance of ongoing assessment and iteration.

But it’s not just about the data; it’s about the impact on the lives of students. Time and again, we have seen the transformation that occurs when children are equipped with the right tools and resources. They not only achieve academically but also grow in confidence and self-belief. This is the true essence of what Age of Learning strives for—empowering young minds to believe in themselves, embrace challenges, and realize their full potential. Our partnerships with schools, combined with our unwavering commitment to quality and innovation, are the driving forces behind these transformations.

Looking ahead, we are more inspired than ever to continue our work, expand our reach, and positively impact even more students around the globe. We know a student’s learning journey is constantly evolving, and we are committed to being there every step of the way, ensuring children everywhere have access to the best educational tools and resources.

For an in-depth look into our evidence-building practices and the collaboration between Age of Learning and the OET, check out the full case study here. Join us in celebrating the transformative power of education and the potential it unlocks in every child!

The post Age of Learning’s Commitment to Evidence-Based Education: A Case Study Collaboration with the Department of Education Office of Educational Technology first appeared on Age of Learning.

The post An Educator’s Perspective: Carmen Alvarez, Early Childhood Director, Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District (HCISD) first appeared on Age of Learning.

We were honored for our School Continuity Initiative, a program we created in March 2020 when schools were forced to close, impacting the academic lives and growth of millions of children. True to our mission to help children everywhere build a strong foundation for academic success and a lifelong love of learning, we created this program to offer preschool through middle school students free home access to our leading digital education programs—ABCmouse, Adventure Academy, and ReadingIQ. More than 80,000 schools, school districts, and teachers contacted us within days of announcing the School Continuity Initiative, allowing us to reach more than 1.2 million children. The children who participated in the program not only continued learning while sheltered at home, but they also experienced academic gains.

We recently shared the findings of an independently funded study that analyzed how children engaged with ABCmouse during the summer of 2020. The study found that:

• Children using ABCmouse for at least 45 minutes per week across three days, and completing 15 Learning Activities, were able to increase learning and minimize the learning loss that often takes place during the summer.
• ABCmouse is especially beneficial to those who start the summer with lower skills: with regular program usage, those students were able to catch up to their higher-skilled peers by the summer’s end, closing the gap by up to 87 percent.

Here is what we heard from a few of the many parents and teachers who reached out during this time:

“My daughter loves ABCmouse!  She has become more confident and quicker with her ability to add and subtract…I’m so proud of how I’ve seen growth even since schools closed!” – Parent of ABCmouse user

“This program has really helped our children grow at a time when social distancing was enforced.” – PreK Teacher, Pennsylvania 

“Last year I had the privilege of being the Kindergarten Virtual Teacher. I was able to provide ABCmouse for families and happy to say that for my students who used the apps and consistently attended school or watched recorded sessions they were reading at or above grade level by the end of the year.” – PreK Teacher, Texas

Thank you again to the City of Glendale for this award. It is an honor to be recognized by our community for our work in helping children everywhere build a strong foundation for academic success and a lifelong love of learning.

The post Age of Learning Recognized by City of Glendale for Our School Continuity Initiative first appeared on Age of Learning.

The Age of Learning Foundation works in partnership with governments and NGOs—including UNICEF and UNESCO as a member of their Global Education Coalition—to provide highly scalable, sustainable digital learning programs proven to measurably advance academic skills, at no cost to the children and families being served. The Foundation also provides teacher training, family engagement, and community outreach support.

Zamchiya brings to his new role more than two decades of experience leading organizations and teams in global development and education. Most recently, he was Managing Director of the Luminos Fund, an international NGO helping out-of-school children in low-income countries catch up academically and enter formal schooling. Zamchiya co-led strategy and partnerships with governments, donors, and grant makers, scaling the organization’s reach and impact severalfold over four years. Prior to that, Zamchiya served as Senior VP of Partnerships at Ashoka and as CEO of the Albany Charter School Network. In 2000, Zamchiya founded The BOOST Fellowship in Zimbabwe, which has helped thousands of students successfully transition from the classroom to the workplace as leaders and innovators.

Zamchiya began his career in strategy and business development roles at the International Finance Corporation, AES Corporation, and Barclays. He is an Echoing Green Fellow, a Pahara Fellow, and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and has authored several children’s books. He earned his undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Bristol, and an MPhil in Development Studies from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

“Hundreds of millions of children throughout the world are educationally underserved. Our goal with the Foundation is to mitigate this crisis by making Age of Learning’s proven learning solutions available to this enormous population of children in need,” said Doug Dohring, Founder and Executive Chairman of Age of Learning and Chairman of the Age of Learning Foundation. “Mubuso’s leadership and experience in creating global education partnerships, along with his passion for our mission and the potential to help hundreds of millions of families, gives me every confidence in his ability to rapidly accelerate our growth going forward.”

“Age of Learning has pioneered a highly effective approach to educating young learners at scale by harnessing learning science, putting children and the joy of learning at the center of product development, and maintaining a deep commitment to educational efficacy,” said Mubuso Zamchiya, Managing Director of the Age of Learning Foundation. “At a time when digital learning is more central to addressing the global education challenge than ever before, I could not be more excited to join the Age of Learning Foundation. I look forward to working with partners around the world to bring quality digital learning to children everywhere.”

To date, the Age of Learning Foundation has provided educational ABCmouse programming reaching millions of children through broadcast networks in Kenya, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In addition, through a partnership with the Ministry of Public Education in Costa Rica, the Foundation has made available the ABCmouse Aprende Inglés program for English language learnings to families throughout the country. Under Zamchiya’s leadership, programs will expand to serve more countries and families, with an initial focus in Central America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia.

About the Age of Learning Foundation

The Age of Learning Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to fundamentally improving the education of underserved children on a global scale. The Foundation works with governments and NGOs—including UNICEF and UNESCO as a member of their Global Education Coalition—to provide highly scalable, sustainable digital learning programs that have been proven to measurably advance academic skills, at no cost to the children and families being served. The Foundation also provides teacher training, family engagement, and community outreach support. Working collaboratively with partners such as UNICEF, UNESCO, Save the Children, United Way, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, General Motors Foundation, ministries of education, and other organizations, the Foundation has enabled children on five continents to benefit from Age of Learning’s research-proven learning resources.

About Age of Learning, Inc.

Age of Learning^®, is a leading education technology innovator, creating engaging and effective learning resources to help children build a strong foundation for academic success. Based in Los Angeles, the company is Bringing Learning to Life^® by blending educational expertise, innovative technology, and insightful creativity. Age of Learning’s flagship product in the U.S., ABCmouse.com^® Early Learning Academy, is a comprehensive curriculum for preschool through second grade, available on all major digital platforms and used by tens of millions of children to date. In 2016 the company launched ABCmouse English to teach English to children internationally, and in 2019 Adventure Academy^®, the first AAA educational massively multiplayer online game (MMO), serving elementary- and middle-school-aged children with thousands of learning activities in a fun and safe virtual world. 2020 saw the release of My Math Academy^® for schools, an adaptive, personalized program that helps students master foundational math concepts; My Reading Academy is scheduled for release in 2022. Connect with Age of Learning at www.AgeofLearning.com or on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

The post The Age of Learning Foundation Appoints Veteran Global Education Leader Mubuso Zamchiya as Managing Director first appeared on Age of Learning.

Age of Learning, founded in 2007, develops digital educational programs with proven efficacy in increasing children’s learning gains. To date, these programs have helped educate more than 50 million children around the world and have been used in hundreds of thousands of classrooms.

“Every child deserves a strong foundation for academic success, and we are committed to delivering on this promise for kids everywhere,” said Paul Candland, CEO of Age of Learning. “We combine best practices in education, cutting-edge technology and the creativity of a major digital studio to build products that are proven by extensive research to really deliver results for children. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with TPG and their global team as we continue to unlock access to opportunity for all kids around the world.” 

“Age of Learning has established itself as a leader in education technology over the last decade,” said David Trujillo, Partner at TPG and Co-Managing Partner of TPG Tech Adjacencies. “Their talented team has innovated to create digital education programs that both engage and provide effective learning solutions for children around the world. Age of Learning was built on the vision of helping children everywhere develop a love of learning, and we are excited to partner with them to accelerate that mission.”

The capital raise will enable Age of Learning to reach more children, families, caregivers, and teachers through its digital educational offerings:

• ABCmouse Early Learning Academy is the #1 digital education program for children ages 2-8 in the U.S. and will expand to include more personalized experiences for kids.
• My Math Academy is a breakthrough personalized learning program that adapts and pinpoints each child’s skill level and continuously provides just-right challenges to help learners master the foundations of math. My Math Academy recently launched in schools with strong early success.
• Adventure Academy is a first-of-its-kind massively multiplayer online education game (MMO) for elementary and middle school students—a constantly-expanding world of learning content and social and multiplayer features.
• ABCmouse English helps children around the world learn English in the way they naturally acquire their native language. It is now expanding with new reading and writing content, placement assessments, and more.

“Since our founding more than a decade ago, Age of Learning has led with a mission to help children everywhere build a strong foundation for academic success and a lifelong love of learning, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds or circumstances,” said Doug Dohring, Age of Learning’s Founder & Executive Chairman. “This funding enables us to increase our investments in bold and innovative programs and reach even more kids and families, which is vital now more than ever.”

In January 2020, the company established the Age of Learning Charitable Foundation, a standalone 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that partners with Ministries of Education, NGOs, and companies in lower income countries to make Age of Learning’s educational programs available at no cost to families and schools. To date, Age of Learning’s product donations have helped educate more than 10 million children, with a total value of more than $200 million.

TPG is making the investment out of its TPG Tech Adjacencies (TTAD) fund, an investment vehicle focused on flexible capital solutions for the technology industry. Goldman Sachs & Co LLC served as Age of Learning’s exclusive placement agent and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP as the company’s legal advisor for this transaction. Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP served as legal advisor to TPG.

About Age of Learning, Inc.

Age of Learning^®, is a leading education technology innovator, creating engaging and effective learning resources to help children build a strong foundation for academic success. Based in Los Angeles, the company is Bringing Learning to Life by blending educational expertise, innovative technology, and insightful creativity. Age of Learning’s flagship product in the U.S., ABCmouse.com^® Early Learning Academy, is a comprehensive curriculum for preschool through second grade, available on all major digital platforms. In 2019 the company launched Adventure Academy, the first AAA educational massively multiplayer online game (MMO), serving elementary- and middle-school-aged children with thousands of learning activities in a fun and safe virtual world. My Math Academy^® for schools is an adaptive, personalized program that helps students master foundational math concepts. Connect with Age of Learning at www.AgeofLearning.com or on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

The post Age of Learning Raises $300 Million in Financing Led by TPG first appeared on Age of Learning.

 Starting today, all Costa Rican families will enjoy free access to ABCmouse Aprende Inglés, a comprehensive digital English language learning program for children ages 3 – 11. Available on computers, tablets, and smartphones, ABCmouse Aprende Inglés was created by Age of Learning and is being offered at no cost throughout Costa Rica by the company’s philanthropic Age of Learning Foundation led by Chairman Doug Dohring. Aligned to international language learning standards, ABCmouse Aprende Inglés is designed specifically to help Spanish-speaking children learn to speak English fluently and confidently and support their important journey to becoming bilingual at an early age. Its engaging, game-based language learning activities makes learning English fun for kids.

In Costa Rica, the ABCmouse Aprende Inglés app is endorsed by the Ministry of Public Education as a valued complement to the English classes received by students in their schools.

Offering more than 4,000 English learning activities expertly designed to teach and practice the language, ABCmouse Aprende Inglés also helps children build confidence in understanding and speaking English as they independently progress along the Step-by-Step Learning Path. While the program is easy for children to use on their own, parents are encouraged to accompany their children in the English learning process and, at the same time, have fun and learn together.

“Everyone at Age of Learning is very excited to be offering ABCmouse Aprende Inglés to all families in Costa Rica at no cost—it’s the first time we’ve made  our English  language learning program available for free in Central America. We want to give Costa Rican children the life-changing  opportunity to become fluent in English from an early age, so they can expand their opportunities as they grow,” says Dr. Rebecca Palacios, a U.S. Hall of Fame teacher with more than 30 years of experience, an expert in dual-language learning, and the spokesperson for  ABCmouse Aprende Inglés.  “We are hoping to reach as many children and their families as possible throughout the country.”

Anyone in Costa Rica interested in taking advantage of this free offer can simply go to www.ABCmouseAprendeIngles.cr  to download the program or open the App  Store on their Android or iOS device, search for the ABCmouse Aprende Inglés app, and download it for free on their mobile devices.

According to Manuel Rojas, advisor to the academic office and coordinator of the Alliance for Bilingualism at MEP, it is extremely important that students have digital resources adaptable to the interests of the student body.

“With the recent approval of the Educational Policy for the Promotion of Languages, guidelines are included that enhance technology as a tool in the language learning process. Based on real content and fun activities with pedagogical intentions, the student population strengthens reading, speaking or listening inside or outside the classroom; with the purpose of expanding exposure to the language and strengthening the entire language learning process,” Rojas says.

Costa Rican families can also visit the program’s new Facebook and Instagram pages for additional information about the app, helpful tips, complementary language learning activities, and much more. On Facebook, go to ABCmouse Ingles Centroamerica.

The post Age of Learning Foundation Offers Families in Costa Rica Free Program to Help All Children Learn English first appeared on Age of Learning.

This first-of-its-kind research and innovation incubator, led by Boston Children’s Hospital pediatrician and Harvard professor Dr. Michael Rich, is bringing together science-based solutions and information about the effects of digital technology on our brains, bodies, and behaviors.

The Digital Wellness Lab and its partners are creating the system necessary to produce and sustain a continuous stream of science-based information focused on the digital wellness of individuals and society. Their work will focus on

• Researching how the interactive media technologies we use and the way we use them affect human development and our physical, mental and social health.
• Educating and empowering supporters, from children and parents to tech innovators, content producers to clinicians, educators to policymakers, with evidence-based guidance, living strategies, tools, and best practices for media and technology use that promote wellness and healthy human development.
• Understanding, characterizing, preventing and treating media use-related disorders, developing clinical protocols to recognize and respond to problematic interactive media use, tools for educators, and strategies for parents caring for children in a digital age.
• Innovating in synergy with technology developers, content creators and educators to shape a digital environment that supports the wellness of children, adolescents and adults.

The Digital Wellness Lab released its comprehensive and authoritative 2021 Family Digital Wellness Guide today. This research-based resource was created to address parents’ and caregivers’ concerns, to clarify confusion, and to empower families to be actively involved in their children’s digital lives at every stage of development. The Digital Wellness Lab conducted a pulse survey to measure how the pandemic lockdown year has affected kids’, parents’ and families’ digital behaviors and wellness. The results of this national survey, also launched in a report today, will serve to guide the Lab’s efforts in its inaugural year.

We look forward to our ongoing collaboration with and support of the Digital Wellness Lab and the important work they are doing.

The post Age of Learning Partners with Boston Children’s Hospital and Leaders in Tech, Entertainment, and Health Care on Launch of Digital Wellness Lab first appeared on Age of Learning.