1 · Why directors pick it
- No accounts for children. A child types a first name, picks an animal, and is in — the room joins with one class code. No emails, no passwords, nothing for you to administer.
- Real practice, not a babysitter. Set a session cap per room or per child (10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes). When a child reaches it, the app says "done for today" and rests until tomorrow.
- Built for the littlest. A dedicated Pre-K mode, big friendly buttons, read-aloud everywhere, and talk-to-answer so pre-readers can answer out loud.
- Runs on what you already own. Any tablet, Chromebook, phone, or computer with a browser — nothing to install, and practice keeps working when the WiFi drops.
- Private by design. No ads, no third-party tracking. A child's name never leaves the device unless you enroll them in your room — and then it is first name only.
2 · What you get as the director
- A dashboard: who practiced, what they worked on, and where each child is ahead or behind — across 81 leveled skills and 26 hands-on activity types.
- Printables: a class poster with a scan-to-join code, per-child login cards, and progress reports you can hand to a parent at pickup.
- Assign a skill to the whole room or to one child; close enrollment once your group is in.
- Families who want the home edition can link to your room — no pressure, no extra step for you.
3 · Pricing, plainly
$59 per child per year
Same price as every family and every school — we do not run center-only pricing. No contract, nothing auto-renews, and a room can start with a free trial class so you test it with your own kids first.
Ask for a trial class See the child join screen4 · How a room starts (about ten minutes)
- You create a free teacher account at app.acornsmarts.com and a class for your room — you get an 8-character class code.
- Tape the class poster by the tablets. Children go to acornsmarts.com/join, type their first name and the code, pick their grade (Pre-K through 5th) and an animal.
- Set the room's session cap. Print login cards so returning children spell their name the same way and pick up where they left off.
Honest limits: the app is practice, not curriculum, and it is not a replacement for a teacher. Progress is machine-verified from real practice only — there is no way to inflate it, which is exactly why parents trust the reports.
5 · Practicalities
- Bilingual throughout — English and Spanish, content and interface.
- Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA-minded design; read-aloud for early readers; dyslexia-friendly options — statement.
- Privacy architecture, verified in code: the evidence pack.
- Vendor: Black Swan Media Solutions LLC (Kansas). Contact: info@acornsmarts.com — answered within one business day.