Anonta’s earnest mission to redesign education for kids

Tod-Learn is a 'learn through play' based educational platform designed for kids aged two to six years. Early childhood education occurs before the age of eight, when a child's brain develops faster than at any other point in their lives, so these years are critical – it is the period which determines their moral outlook, emotional intelligence, and cognitive skills, among other things.  A Tod-Learn subscription has many products to offer, including age-appropriate weekly activity worksheets and lesson plans. Anonta Kibria Khan, who is at the helm of Tod-Learn talked to us about how she started the platform and its journey so far.

How have you made Tod-Learn a unique platform, which is different from schools?

Tod-Learn was an initiative to help activate a child's potential through an idea that they already loved: play. As a mother, I understand that toddlers are not like other students, as their needs are different. Schools follow a strict curriculum where most kids, even at the age of 5 are made to sit and follow rules. The classroom environment is great, but it does not pay heed to the fact that human beings have different stages of development at different ages. I strongly felt the need to establish a platform where mothers have access to an approach that is fun, educational and most importantly, age-appropriate. If you want to teach your three-year-old numbers, you have to speak in their language. Give them 10 balls and they will know addition and subtraction in no time. That's the power of learning through play.

What inspired you to start Tod-Learn?

My daughter. I also knew that our current educational system was not suitable towards toddlers, especially during a pandemic.

What are some lessons you learned in your entrepreneurship journey so far?

My biggest learning has to be the fact that a business model needs to be molded according to the market demands. At first, Tod-Learn was just subscription-based worksheets for children to do at home, with the help of their parents. But now that schools have reopened, we have shifted to a model that offers a solution other than home-based learning.

How did you reach out to people initially and what was their response?

That is all thanks to the internet. Parents are more conscious now about childcare, which made it easier to convey the message. The response was great from the beginning. There were questions from mothers about this approach, and how it works. To my surprise, they were really excited to spend quality time with their children with Tod-Learn boxes.

The author is a student of BRAC University, and a freelance journalist. Email: shanzaychowdhury@gmail.com.