New ABCmouse for Libraries Available on Tablets, Adds 1st Grade Curriculum and Enhanced Features

GLENDALE, Calif., June 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, at the 2015 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference, Age of Learning, Inc. announced a major expansion to ABCmouse for Libraries™, which gives children visiting public libraries free access to ABCmouse Early Learning Academy—the leading and most comprehensive online early learning resource. The enhanced product now includes support for iPad and Android tablets, an all-new 1^st grade curriculum that will include thousands of new learning activities, and added tools to improve librarians' and patrons' experience using ABCmouse. The already popular ABCmouse for Libraries will now help more young children learn, and better strengthen the library-school-home connection.

The multi-award-winning curriculum and safe, COPPA-compliant, 100% educational environment offered by ABCmouse for Libraries helps young children build a strong foundation for future academic success. Large-scale research studies assessing the effectiveness of ABCmouse have concluded that ABCmouse accelerates learning and helps children make significant gains in math and literacy.

ABCmouse for Libraries was launched at the 2014 ALA Annual Conference. Just one year later, the early learning curriculum is being used in nearly 4,000 libraries, including six of the seven largest public library systems in the country: Los Angeles Public Library, County of Los Angeles Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Borough Public Library, and Miami-Dade Public Library System.

"Since the launch of ABCmouse for Libraries last summer, thousands of branches across the country have enabled hundreds of thousands of children to complete high-quality early learning activities at their local public library," said Zachary Katz, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Age of Learning. "As libraries increasingly make mobile devices available to patrons, Age of Learning is excited to expand ABCmouse for Libraries by making our ABCmouse app—the leading children's learning app for iPads and Android tablets—free for in-library use."

For the millions of families without broadband Internet at home, the local public library may be the only place they can access online learning resources. According to ALA data, there are more than 1.5 billion in-person public library visits and 300 million sessions on Internet-connected computers at U.S. public libraries annually. The new ABCmouse for Libraries will provide added benefits to this population:

• The ability to use ABCmouse on library-supplied iPad and Android tablets within the library, in addition to library desktop computers and families' own tablets and laptops.
• A comprehensive standards-aligned supplementary 1^st grade curriculum, with thousands of learning activities, including books, instructional animations, games, songs, puzzles, and more.
• An enhanced library user experience for easier access to the most popular ABCmouse learning activities.
• New tools offering more robust, anonymous usage data to give librarians insights into daily and weekly usage, including the number of users, time spent, activities completed, and books read.
• Free Library Starter Kits for branches to generate awareness and increase usage of ABCmouse for Libraries.

Age of Learning Science Advisor and award-winning science author Steve Tomecek will be demonstrating the new ABCmouse for Libraries product at the Age of Learning booth, #3725, at the ALA Conference this weekend.

ABCmouse for Libraries makes it quick and easy for all public librarians to create a free account at www.ABCmouse.com/libraries. Children can then use the site with a guest account, or parents can create personal accounts at the library to allow their children to customize their experiences and save their progress on ABCmouse.

About Age of Learning, Inc.
Age of Learning (www.AgeofLearning.com) is a leading education technology innovator and producer of the multi-award-winning ABCmouse Early Learning Academy (www.ABCmouse.com), serving millions of children. Based in Los Angeles, the company blends education best practices, innovative technology, and insightful creativity to bring learning to life for children across the U.S. and around the world. Age of Learning's content provides young learners, their families, and teachers with highly engaging and effective learning tools and a comprehensive curriculum that build a strong foundation for academic success. The company's Education Access Initiatives offer the full award-winning ABCmouse curriculum at no cost to millions of children through community institutions including schools, libraries, Head Start centers, and community centers—including public housing authorities and after-school programs. To date, children have completed more than one billion ABCmouse learning activities, and ABCmouse is regularly the No. 1 children's learning iPad and iPhone app in both the Kids category and the Education category in Apple's U.S. App Store.

SOURCE Age of Learning, Inc.

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http://www.AgeofLearning.com