Shoelace

We often hear about how much of a hindrance screen time can be to a child’s development. But the founder of Shoelace saw an important opportunity. “We need to meet kids where they’re at," says Julia Rivard Dexter. "If we can replace some of the time they spend on devices with highly engaging literacy tools, that is a huge opportunity for learning."

With five million users, including almost 300,000 teachers, Shoelace’s literacy learning engine has been applied to its first game, Dreamscape, to adapt to users' unique needs and to engage them with content that builds their reading skills. With changes to the Alberta curriculum, parents and teachers are more focused than ever on helping children learn better in today’s digital world. This technology puts the power in the hands of parents, teachers and, most importantly, kids themselves.

The company is strongly committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, ensuring that this resource is free to access and has content that is unbiased and culturally responsive. “It’s important that all kids connect with this,” says Dexter. "If they see themselves in the content, they’re going to perform better."

With a commitment to backing its technology with evidence-based research, the Shoelace team is testing the program’s efficacy and using research to inform its ongoing iteration and growth. Through this research-based technology, Shoelace is strengthening one of life’s critical skills for millions of children and, in doing so, allowing their confidence to grow.

Visit Shoelace’s website for more information.

Shoelace has received investment from UCeed, a venture philanthropy fund accelerating UCalgary and community-based startup companies to advance problem-solving research, create jobs and fuel the economy. A key program in the UCalgary innovation ecosystem, UCeed bridges the gap between innovation, demonstration and commercialization, and is managed by UCalgary’s knowledge-transfer and business incubator, Innovate Calgary.

The UCeed Social Impact Fund is powered by the generosity of the United Way of Calgary and Area and its mission to mobilize communities for lasting social change and the Government of Alberta’s Creative Partnerships initiative to support arts and non-profit sectors.