Waterford Institute’s MyBackpack Mobile App Receives Parents’ Choice Silver Honor
Parents’ Choice has awarded the Waterford Institute’s early learning mobile app MyBackpack a Silver Honor, an accolade that Waterford executives welcomed as another validation of the nonprofit educational research organization’s first app, which was released in Nov. 2014.
The free MyBackpack app is available on iPad and features songs, books, math games, and nursery rhymes to be used alongside Waterford’s adaptive learning software, Waterford Early Learning, in the classroom or at home.
“We’re pleased with this recognition for MyBackpack,” said Mikkel Storm, Waterford’s vice president of product and marketing. “Last year, it was our first step toward having the full Waterford Early Learning Reading library available on the iPad, which we accomplished this summer specifically for our U.S. schools and districts.
“We strive to make a difference in the lives of children every day by creating programs that will help them develop the skills they need to be successful learners,” Storm said. “Our driving mission is to inspire a great start for every child.”
The Parents’ Choice review commended the MyBackpack app for its wide range of quality learning activities and its visual presentation.
“This app will provide many hours of fun and learning for children in preschool and the primary grades,” the review stated. It also stated: “The art styles vary widely, from cute cartoonish pictures to near-realism, but they are generally visually appealing and professionally presented, not mass-produced as one might expect from such a wide offering.”
The release also stated: “Children can choose to listen to the narration and watch as the text is highlighted, or they can read the stories to themselves and tap on individual unfamiliar words to hear them read aloud.”
“This multisensory approach is just one example of how Waterford incorporates teaching best practices into its early literacy products,” Storm said. “Over the past 10 months, we have seen near perfect scores for MyBackpack from half a dozen accrediting bodies and educational organizations. This app is just the beginning of good things to come from Waterford for our nation’s earliest learners.”
MyBackpack is available for free directly from the App Store.
About Waterford
Waterford Institute is a nonprofit research center that creates personalized cloud-based instruction through award-winning curriculum, content and assessment for children aged pre-K through grade 2. As a nonprofit, Waterford is uniquely focused on providing accessibility, equity and excellence for our youngest learners to position them for a lifetime of learning and success. For more information, visit www.waterford.org or call 801-349-2200.
About Parents’ Choice
Parents’ Choice Foundation, established in 1978 as a 501c3, is the nation’s oldest nonprofit guide to quality children’s media and toys.