Kidobi Releases iPad App

Press release from Nelvana Enterprises:

Toronto, ON – As screen time among children continues to rise, Toronto-based software company Kidobi [1] is creating digital tools for parents to help “make screen time count.” Children today have unprecedented access to screen media, with preschoolers spending an average of 32 hours each week watching television. Today the company announced the release of their iPad app, available for free in the App Store [2].

Kidobi is a new online video platform for preschoolers that creates a personalized curriculum for every child and adapts to their level as they go, giving them the reinforcement needed to master new skills and learn at their own pace. With children spending more time with screens than they do in school, there is a growing need among parents for an accessible means to ensure the content their child is exposed to is appropriate and reflects their values.

The Kidobi iPad App allows Kidobi subscribers to access their child’s personal learning channel directly from the device. With the iPad app or on Kidobi.com, parents and their children get access to thousands of educational and entertaining videos for kids.

The idea for a preschool personalization platform came about as a result of one parent’s frustration with searching online for educational content for his daughter. Back in 2008, Founder and CEO of Kidobi, Leo Henning, spent a little time searching online for educational content that matched his daughter’s needs and interests. The difficulties he encountered finding content at the right level, on an appropriate topic, not to mention something his daughter liked, were non-trivial. “It was excruciating,” recalls Henning. “I know what she’s interested in and I know when something is too advanced for her, but there were no guidelines or tools to help. Essentially, I had to pre-screen everything and make my best guess. I knew there was a simpler way.”

When he looked for a solution and found none, he decided to build one. Henning went on to develop a tool that would allow children to access quality educational and entertainment content that was at the right level for each viewer, building in lots of features for parents to guide the programming.

The company, which launched Kidobi.com last summer, says it is responding to the needs of their customers. “Parents’ and children’s use of iPads has grown substantially in the past year. They expect to be able to access all of their services through that device,” said Leo Henning, Founder and CEO of Kidobi. “Now parents can help make their kids’ screen time count on the iPad as well.” The company plans to release a mobile app in the Android App Market in the coming weeks.

The parental controls on Kidobi.com and Kidobi for iPad allow parents to block, rate, and save videos directly from the player. Parents are able to customize the programming by adding filters, interests, or setting a curriculum focus for each child from their Kidobi account. More than ever, Kidobi is an essential part of the mobile experience for preschoolers and their parents.