ABCmouse.com for Libraries homepage. Image courtesy of Age of Learning.

On June 26 at the 2014 American Library Association Annual Conference, Age of Learning launched ABCmouse.com for Libraries, a fully featured, free-for-libraries version of ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy, its award-winning online curriculum used by millions of children as part of their series of Education for Access Initiatives that includes ABCmouse.com for Schools, ABCmouse.com for Head Start, and free access for children in the foster care system which makes versions of this early learning resource available—at no cost—to children, regardless of their circumstances. ABCmouse.com for Libraries gives children access—through all of the 16,000 U.S. public libraries—to its comprehensive online learning resource that includes language and literacy, math, social studies, arts, and music—for children ages 2 through 6 (and up). According to the Age of Learning website, the ALA reports that “there are more than 1.5 billion in-person public library visits and over 300 million sessions on Internet-connected computers at U.S. public libraries annually.” ABCmouse’s library access initiative will significantly increase families’ ability to go online and use this resource. “For the millions of families without a computer or broadband Internet at home, the local public library may be the only place they can access high-quality online learning resources like ABCmouse.com,” says Zachary Katz, senior vice-president of Corporate Development at Age of Learning. Winner of numerous awards from national education, parent, and media organizations, ABCmouse.com offers a highly engaging, expert-designed curriculum for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, and beyond with more than 3,500 individual learning activities and 450 lessons. And for those still wondering what is ABCmouse for Libraries? Watch this introductory YouTube video: In terms of user friendliness for young learners, Katz tells SLJ, “The product does not require a librarian or adult to get it started, which is something we thought of a lot [during development of the product]. A child can get on and get started immediately.” Katz tells the program has a voiceover feature for users who aren’t reading  yet. And for librarians, ABCMouse.com generates aggregate reports that allows you to see how many children have used the console in your branch, how many activities they have completed, and how many books they have read. ABCmouse.com for Libraries is already available to more than 140 library branches around the country in its pilot phase, including all Los Angeles Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library branches, It’s quick and easy for any public library to create a free account. Once a library account is created, anyone who visits www.ABCmouse.com from the library can access the ABCmouse.com online curriculum. ABCmouse.com for Libraries is available to all U.S. public libraries for free at www.ABCmouse.com/libraries.