As its traction accelerates, Dartmouth-based Squiggle Park has received validation from a panel of education experts by being one of 12 EdTech programs selected this year by LEAP Innovations in Chicago.

LEAP issued a statement last week saying that its Leap Pilot Network had selected a dozen IT programs that help children, teachers and parents improve educational outcomes, and one was Squiggle Park. Some 32 organizations applied to the competition, which features a rigorous selection process that lasts several months.

 “This announcement is important because Chicago Public Schools is a district that leads nationally in regards to their vetting and selection of the best EdTech products,” said Squiggle Park Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer Julia Rivard. She added that being selected by the CPS-affiliated Leap Innovation is a key validation because the program is recognized by other districts all over the U.S.

“The vetting done by Leap to be on this list was significant and happened over several months with critical reviews by top researchers, educators and EdTech professionals,” she added.

Itavio Gains Funds, Enters Hearst Labs

Squiggle Park has developed a series of games that helps users -- especially children from preschool to Grades 3 or 4 -- learn to read. The company says children using the games learn to read in one-fifth of the time of traditional lessons, and it is especially helpful in teaching children who lag their peers. In its home base of Nova Scotia, the software is supporting several hundred classrooms and is accessible through the Halifax Public Libraries.

“Technology is not a prerequisite for personalized learning, but it can be a powerful tool in support of great teaching,” said LEAP Innovations CEO Phyllis Lockett in the statement. “Over the last five years, we’ve tapped the expertise of learning scientists and researchers, working alongside educators, to create a framework that is both rigorous and respectful of the real-world challenges of classroom teachers.”

Rivard and her Co-Founder, CEO Leah Skerry, offered Squiggle Park to users just over a year ago and as of last week it has been used by 80,914 users, both children and adults.

The users – mainly in Canada and the U.S. but also in schools in Oman, Mexico, India, Germany and China – have answered 33 million questions and logged a total of 70,372 hours of playing time, or roughly eight years.

Rivard also said the company is in the middle of a large pilot with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to help newcomers to Canada master English reading skills. This pilot is taking place with 11 organizations from coast to coast and thousands of players. “It is the largest EdTech study with English Language Learning ever done,” she said.