#abcmouse for libraries

Children from low-income families begin to fall behind their peers in vocabulary development before they’re even two years old. By the time they reach fourth grade, 80 percent of these children are not proficient readers (Source: Campaign for Grade-Level Reading). This learning deficit has long-term effects on children’s academic future, including their likelihood of graduating from high school.

We are pleased to announce that Southern California Edison (SCE) has invested in the Bring Learning Home initiative to provide local families with checkout access to ABCmouse through the County of Los Angeles Public Library. Bring Learning Home is a nationwide program that brings together public libraries, funders, and in-kind contributions from Age of Learning to make ABCmouse available to families who may not otherwise have access to high-quality learning resources in their homes.

Since 2014, ABCmouse for Libraries has provided our award-winning ABCmouse.com® Early Learning Academy to public library patrons at no cost for in-library use. ABCmouse is now available in more than 6,000 public library branches nationwide—over 40% of all branches in the U.S and almost 80% of branches in California. Last year alone there were more than 1,000,000 ABCmouse for Libraries child user sessions across the country. The Bring Learning Home initiative expands these efforts by partnering with libraries to provide ABCmouse to their patrons on a checkout basis for use at home, with the goal of improving school readiness and reading proficiency.

Leading Online Education Resource ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy Will Be Available Free to 65,000 Children Annually in Public Housing

Today, Age of Learning, Inc. announced it would make its award-winning ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy curriculum available free to tens of thousands of low-income families as part of ConnectHome, a new White House initiative that brings together communities, the private sector and federal agencies to increase access to digital learning and information resources to families across the country. ConnectHome will provide high-speed broadband, technical training, digital literacy programs and devices for residents in assisted housing units. As a partner in this pilot program, Age of Learning will make its award-winning ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy curriculum available for free to families living in public housing in 27 cities and one tribal nation, serving up to 65,000 children ages 2 – 7 each year. ABCmouse.com will be made available on computers and tablets through a wide range of access points, including computer rooms and learning centers in and near public housing facilities.

Used by millions of children, ABCmouse.com is the leading and most comprehensive digital education resource for young learners, comprising more than 5,000 learning activities that encompass reading and language arts, math, science, social studies, health, art and music. Research studies have found that ABCmouse.com significantly accelerates learning, helping children make meaningful gains on key early literacy and math skills. To date, children have completed more than one billion ABCmouse.com learning activities.  

"We are proud to support this crucial initiative to bridge the digital divide for tens of thousands of children nationwide," said founder and CEO Doug Dohring. "At Age of Learning, our mission is to help all children build a strong foundation for academic success. ConnectHome's focus on digital learning resources aligns with our goal, and it is a critical step toward improving educational outcomes for children and their families in these communities."

ConnectHome support marks another step in Age of Learning's ongoing effort to make high-quality learning resources available to low-income families. Last year, as a participant in the White House'sInvest in US campaign, Age of Learning made a commitment to provide free access to ABCmouse for Schools™ in every U.S. preschool, Head Start, pre-k and kindergarten classroom over the next two years, at a value of more than $10 million. Last month the company expanded its ABCmouse for Libraries™ initiative, which provides free access to ABCmouse.com at any public library in the country.