LITLAB

Mill Valley, California, 94941 United States

Mission Statement

Our mission is to create connected, interactive learning environments and literacy opportunities for under-resourced children, aged 2-10, by deploying high quality bilingual books and digital content for early learners and their families. Kidappolis, our mobile platform, targets community engagement and collective impact, providing parents who may not be fluent in English or knowledgeable about American schooling with resources in their native language that enable them to actively participate in their child's academic skill development. With key wraparound support services, we replace common barriers faced by low-income and emergent bilingual families with community-empowered safety nets to help families and children thrive.

About This Cause

“It’s hard to read to my child when I don’t know where we’re sleeping tonight.” LitLab targets Title I communities serving bilingual, low-income populations, with 95% of our families qualifying for free and reduced-price lunch. Our target families are likely to have children identified as behind in school. They are at more risk from the instabilities common to endemic poverty, exacerbated by COVID-19: crowded housing, poor nutrition, underlying health conditions, and job loss. Our solutions address issues of access faced by this demographic, with a goal to decrease 3rd grade illiteracy rates from 78% to 20% or less. 10,000+ people in 5 school districts, 125 classrooms, and 19 agencies have benefited from our help. The kidappolis family app is a single-point multilingual interactive learning portal accessible from any mobile device, to prepare children, aged 2-10, for school and life success. We measure existing knowledge against age-appropriate benchmarks, personalize learning by targeting academic weaknesses, and track progress toward goals, sharing details with families and adding tips to support positive parenting and skill growth. Kidappolis keeps children, especially those in crisis, on target for early reading and math success while increasing parents’ availability to support learning. Children prepared for school are more likely to retain confidence and a sense of well-being throughout the year, despite disruption. Kidappolis has become a vital home learning tool for those without home internet/computers. Adults access the app from a mobile phone, receiving SMS/text messages about skill growth, COVID-19 safety, family services, emergency resources, and virtual events, by location. The Kidappolis Communities program also provides bilingual books for offline skill practice. Those receiving resources stabilize, improving family wellness, so children reach school success and generational poverty ends.

LITLAB
203 Meda Lane
Mill Valley, California 94941
United States
Phone 415-810-2044
Twitter @litlab510
Unique Identifier 472116172