The early years are a critical window of opportunity when brain development is highest. Despite high enrolment, research like ASeR (2022) study highlights year on year that while children are going to school, they are not learning. Only one quarter of all children in Grade III were performing at the appropriate grade level in Math and roughly 20% were reading at the expected grade level. Further, recent studies have shown that there has been a substantial post-pandemic learning loss among children. Parents can play an important role to support their child’s learning at home using technology.
The Top Parent app is one such public goods solution leveraging digital technology that governments must consider integrating into their regional education systems. It’s a free Progressive Web App designed for low income families with children in the critical 3-8 year age group by giving them language, resources and strategies to get ready for school and for life. Research has shown that children with richer home literacy environments demonstrate higher levels of reading knowledge and skills at kindergarten entry (Nord, Lennon, Liu, & Chandler, 2000). Top Parent app builds on this and is closely aligned with the government’s NIPUN Bharat Mission, to ensure that every child in the country attains foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of Grade 3, by 2026-27.
Currently available in Hindi and Marathi, it emphasises self-paced personalised learning using an Accelerated Learning Framework (ALF) model. Under this model, various aspects of the learning process are monitored such as the speed at which learners acquire new competencies; their ability to simultaneously explore multiple competencies across different subjects; and the successful completion of competencies as evidenced by assessment scores.
With 500+ videos for both parents and children, 24 computerised pre-assessment, a bank of over 3000+ gamified worksheets, and an exciting reward system, Top Parent is easy to use and audio enabled to specifically support populations with low textual literacy. Mapped to the National Curriculum, Top Parent has been designed to contribute positively towards children’s Foundational Literacy and Numeracy [FLN]. Well-structured continuous assessments monitor children's learning progression and performance which is sent to parents via WhatsApp so that they can continue to scaffold and help their children. Top Parent is further integrating virtual blended learning and spoken English via Live Streaming. A robust learning engineering backend is being built using generative AI to better understand user behaviour, guided by advisor Dr. Ryan Baker (Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Director of the Penn Center for Learning Analytics, and heads Baker EDM Lab, Inc.)
Since its launch, Top Parent has been growing exponentially and has secured over 780K+ downloads with over 405K+ (so far) active users to date. A 32% monthly retention rate has been observed among its total users, highlighting the potential scalability of the solution. In addition to being vernacular, it doesn’t need a robust internet connection for optimum functioning, making it a viable option for communities with low connectivity.
In recognition of their groundbreaking innovation, Top Parent was honoured as the recipient of the prestigious #mBillionth award from the Digital Empowerment Foundation. Esteemed donors like the Central Square Foundation (CSF), ACT Grants, and the TOOLS Competition have placed their trust in the app’s visionary solution.
Regular studies have been conducted to assess its impact on a granular scale. In one such analysis involving 1,800 respondents, CSF’s RMEL department identified significant improvements in numeracy skills for Grade 1 and in word problems for Grade 2. Moreover, parental knowledge scores and parental practices around FLN also saw notable growth. Video-based learning has undoubtedly led to a consistent improvement in students’ performance across all levels.
In light of their success thus far, Top Parent has set out to achieve more ambitious goals. While B2C remains the most viable distribution model, a robust B2G partnership plan has been devised to expand outreach to millions of families in Maharashtra and U.P. [with more states in the pipeline]. They plan to reach over 3.5 million families by March ’26, with a goal of 1 million+ app downloads by March ’24. New offerings, such as an AI chatbot and live streaming lessons, are well under way.
Led by a driven leadership, each of whom brings their unique talents and perspectives to the larger mission, Top Parent continues to scale their reach in the EdTech space, motivated by the lives of families impacted along the way.
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