A Los Angeles firm called Earlier Media is launching an educational games and homework site for kids: Game Classroom.
The site for K-6 kids offers parents and teachers an online resource for supplementing their kids’ education across 500 different skills. The company developed the site’s content — from learning tips to sample problems — in cooperation with educators over the past year.
Most sites don’t try to do what Game Classroom does, combining games with homework help and worksheets, said Josh Solt, chief operating officer of Earlier Media.
The site emphasizes games as a way to teach kids in a non-threatening environment. The games and activities are sorted by grade level, and the subject matter is compliant with state educational standards. Teachers screen the games to make sure they’re appropriate.
Earlier Media is backed by New York-based Milan Ventures and Break Media chief executive Keith Richman. Earlier Media also owns Kideos, a site with videos for kids that had 400 percent growth in July. The company was founded in 2008 and has 10 employees.
It will be interesting to see if the site can get traction. It will likely take a lot of marketing muscle to take on both game sites and educational sites, which range from pbskids.org to Nick.com.