Helping Kids Learn, One Click at a Time

As the father of two school-aged children, Armie Carabet has been attuned to the needs and wants of curious, young minds. Looking around, he saw a glaring void in early-education products.

“I saw a lot of products that were toys first and educational toys second,” said the Agoura resident and seasoned entrepreneur.

After analyzing what was going on in the marketplace, Carabet and his partner, Alan Scalone, decided to take a different approach.

In 2003, the pair created ClickN Kids, an online literacy program that orchestrated the “marriage of utility and entertainment.”

“The Internet was just starting to be taken seriously then,” said Carabet, co-founder and chief executive officer. “So we saw an opportunity and took it.”

Based on the research of top early education expert Dr. J. Ron Nelson, the online-delivered software is aligned with core curriculum programs found in schools around the US.

The company’s core products are ClickN Read Phonics and ClickN Spell, both designed to be engaging and entertaining with interactive and cartoon-animated lessons.

“Schools, parents and home-schoolers can use it,” said Carabet, noting that it’s easy enough to use even for non-teachers.

With no slow downloads or bulky software CDs, the Web-based products are accessible wherever there are computers. Subscription options range from single use to six months to a lifetime account.

The target group of users consists of 4- to 11-year-olds. However, even older children, including those learning English as a second language (ESL), would also benefit from it, according to Carabet.

The programs also have extensive tracking and reporting capabilities. “You can see how your student or child is doing in comparison with other operators,” said Carabet. “You can also go back and repeat a lesson.”

Last May, ClickN Kids partnered with Warner Bros. and launched Looney Tunes ClickN Read Phonics.

“It is similar in structure to the original ClickN Read Phonics program with the addition of Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Daffy Duck and the rest of the gang,” said Carabet of the joint venture.

“We bought the rights from Warner Bros., but the cartoons are all original, high-quality and created from scratch here in our studio,” he said.

By “studio,” Carabet means Woodland Hills, home to their programming and animation divisions, with a staff of about 25. Distributors based all over the globe handle sales and relationships with schools within the US and over 125 countries.

ClickN Kids is weathering the current economic slump by staying lean and mean. “We’re a small company with an online business model,” said Carabet. “Some of us work in home offices and we have no inventory.”

Clients reportedly find them through Internet ads, some affiliate marketing and TV commercials currently running on national cable.

Carabet is mum on other products in the pipeline, sharing just enough to pique the public’s curiosity.

“We’re partnering with a major university in the UK to modify our curriculum and come up with a British-English reading program,” he said.

Carabet anticipates more joint ventures and cross-promotions in their future, as they continue building the ClickN brand within their core U.S. market as well as overseas.