Learn with Homer: Downtown Brooklyn’s literacy app for very young kids

Mobile apps will be challenged by the flexibility of device agnostic web development. But learning tools for kids may last because of the safety of a confined app environment. That may be why Tinybop is doing so well.

A similar iOS app, Learn With Homer, focused on reading for kids aged three to six, just secured a second round of investment, as we reported in a recent Startup Roundup. As its currently built, Learn With Homer uses four elements to build children’s literacy:

• The foundational reading program. This is largely based on the sounds of letters and combinations of letters.
• Stories. The app has classic children’s stories and new ones starring the apps set of animated characters.
• Knowledge. A set of amazing facts are presented to children to satisfy and whet their curiosity about the world.
• Creativity. As kids use the app, they will make drawings and recordings based on what they’ve done or learn. All of these are saved within the app.

Homer‘s founder, Stephanie Dua, is a Brooklyn mom of three. She’s also been a serious player in education in New York. For five years, she ran The Fund For Public Schools, an internal education reform engine within the the NYC Department of Education that sought private investment for public schools. Among her bosses at the NYC Department of Education was Joel Klein, who’s now running Amplify, the borough’s edtech heavyweight.