This Bear edtech company is launching a new summer learning app with the NFL Alumni Association

It could be a long, hot summer — and educators hope students use as much of it as possible learning, even if they’re not in summer classes.

Smart Kidz Club, a Bear-based early education company that offers a digital library of resouces for home and classroom learning, is joining the pandemic summer learning push by entering a five-year partnership with NFL Alumni Association as part of its NFL ALUMNI’s Caring for Kids initiatives, with a July 4 release of the educational app Kids READ TO LEAD with NFL Alumni Association. The NFL Alumni Association is made up of former NFL players, coaches, cheerleaders, spouses and NFL employees, and includes support for local social programs.

“This partnership is in perfect alignment of our missions—NFL Alumni Association’s Caring for Kids and Smart Kidz Club’s mission of inspiring kids to read and learn,” said Surinder Sharma, CEO of Smart Kidz Club. “I am thrilled for all the kids who will now be able to get this educational library into their hands to build a strong reading and learning foundation.” 

Raising awareness of the new app will be a part NFL Alumni Association’s greater Read to Lead campaign, which focuses on helping parents support their children’s literacy and addressing potential learning gaps exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Association’s goal is to reach 500,000 kids by the end of 2022.

“We can act now before ‘COVID-Slide’ and ‘summer slide’ combine to set children back too far,” said Anne Gemmell, founder of Future Works Alliance, Philadelphia and a member of the Board of Advisors for Smart Kidz Club. “The Read To Lead app bridges the digital divide and puts a terrific library right in the pocket. Children and families across the United States will benefit from a perfect learning tool for our times.” 

The Smart Kidz Club digital library includes exclusive ebooks with word-by-word narration, flash cards and activities for elementary-aged children. To download, go to  Kids Read To Lead App.