Hi Sam,

We’ve outlined our thinking here- decisions which were guided both by internal research/interviews with parents, and academic literature (✨with animated treats at the end✨)

*Key references at the end

1 WHY STORIES?

Science based story books in schools have been linked with improved learning outcomes (11,12,13): 

• Spark curiosity and inquiry  

• Foster positive attitudes towards science and enthusiasm  

• Increase exposure to minorities and female role models 

• Improve reasoning, remembering and thinking critically

• Content knowledge in narrative form helps children understand difficult science concepts 

2 WHY BOOKS VS TECH?

Books in schools have great implementation outcomes (14,15):

• High teacher familiarity and acceptance with books as an instruction tool 

  • Teachers of years Kindy-Grade 3 read aloud a picture book on average 8/10 days

• Accessible for teachers and schools with limited funds  

Books in the home lack representation (1,2,3,4,5) 

• Only one fifth of best selling childrens book feature female leads (Of these central characters, 96% are white.) 

• Overall, children’s science books pictured males three times more often than females

Parents are concerned with screen time (6,7,8,9,10)

• 53% of parents are concerned with overuse of technology

• Electronic features negatively affect parent-child dialog and story comprehension

• The hour before bedtime/in the bedroom is recommended to be screen free- a time we wanted our books to be in high use. 

3 WHERE WE’RE AT

Ultimately, we don’t approach this as an either/or decision: books or tech. Both Deb and I come from digital backgrounds, and in early R&D, prototyped a number of different tech enabled products- all with the same mission: to empower young girls to engage in STEM and leadership. We’ve included a sneak peek at our story dice, sound cards and voice activated story companion below! 

We started with books as they:

• Directly addressed the gender gap and representation in children’s literature- a problem parents were concerned about

• Are readily accepted by parents and teachers

• Read nightly by many parents/purchased regularly 

• Cost effective and accessible to all families 

• Low production cost/easy entry point

Our product roadmap includes digital development of: 

• Audio books, Alexa skills and Google assistant actions

• Digital interactive books (like the ones we made at Google- peabody award winning)

• Youtube animated shorts (based on books) 

Key References

1. Girls Future-Our Future. The Invergowrie Foundation

2. Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children’s interests

3. National Science Teachers Association: Parent Involvement in Science Learning

4. Changing the game for girls in STEM

5. Gender Bias in the Purchase of STEM-Related Toys

6. 2018 American Family Survey Findings

7. Do Parents Prefer Digital Play? Examination of Parental Preferences and Beliefs in Four Nations

8. American Academy of Pediatrics: Selecting Appropriate Toys for Young Children in the Digital Era

9. Lets Play!: Digital and Analog Play Between Preschoolers and Parents

10. Screen time and kids: what’s happening in our homes?

11.  Using Picture Storybooks to support young children’s science learning

12.  Fostering a greater understanding of science in the classroom through Childrens literature

13.  Using Children’s Literature to teach standard-based science concepts in early years

14.  World Economic Forum: Students learn better from books than screens, according to new study

15.  Reading aloud to students: a national probability study of classroom reading practices of elementary school teachers

16.  Once Upon a Time: Parent-Child Dialogue and Storybook reading in the electronic era