London based Sandbox & Co is a provider of digital learning products and services. It has multiple brands aimed towards helping children and adults learn effectively online. It has acquired PlayKids, one of the leading digital education platforms in Brazil.
PlayKids specializes in video content, books, and online learning through two core brands. The first is the PlayKids app, a video-on-demand platform aimed at children aged 2 to 8. The second is Leiturinha, which is one of the largest children’s book subscription services in Brazil. The two brands have an audience of over 4 million monthly users.
Sandbox & Co has 17 brands beneath its umbrella. Together they reach a peak monthly audience of over 60 million children, families, and teachers. Among those brands is Code Kingdoms. Code Kingdoms is an educational coding resource which focuses on coding and creating mods for games like Minecraft and Roblox.
“We have been big fans of PlayKids and Leiturinha and are delighted to welcome them to the Sandbox family as a perfect complement to our existing suite of products,” said Bhav Singh, boss of Sandbox.
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Covid-19 has made online education a necessity
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic children’s education has suffered. Social distancing and full lockdowns have had a negative impact on their mental wellbeing. Studies have shown rising rates of both depression and anxiety in addition to months of lost learning time.
While those studies have shown an impact across all students, the impact is noticeably larger among students of color. Sandbox and Co’s acquisition of PlayKids hopes to address that impact in Latin America and the rest of the world.
“Last year, following the pandemic’s impact, there was a clear uptake in digital acceleration and a need to quickly reinvent how kids are educated and entertained during the lockdowns,” said Guilherme Martins, PlayKids boss and founder of Leiturinha. “I see that trend continuing and am excited to work with Bhav and the other Sandboxers to extend our digital offerings and introduce Sandbox’ online learning products to the Latin American market.”
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