CULVER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Encantos, the award-winning B-Corp creating family entertainment education brands, announced that its bilingual education brand Canticos was awarded the 2020 Kidscreen Award for Best Digital Preschool Web / App Series (Branded). This is the second consecutive year that Canticos wins the Kidscreen award in this category. The Kidscreen Award winners were announced during the Kidscreen 2020 Summit in Miami at a special presentation on February 12th.
An Emmy-nominated series that is beloved by kids, parents, & educators, Canticos makes learning two languages (English and Spanish) fun for preschoolers while helping them develop early education skills needed for a successful start in Kindergarten. All over the world, nursery rhymes and songs have been used to introduce young children to early literacy and math concepts, to build social skills through singing and dancing, and to create cross-generational bonds through the preservation of these commonly known songs. Canticos combines the power of nursery rhymes with the benefits of bilingualism to provide children with an innovative learning experience.
Led by its three lead “Little Chickies / Los Pollitos” characters Ricky Chickie, Kiki Chickie and Nicky Chickie and supported by an ensemble cast of adorable characters, Canticos brings to life the most beloved nursery rhymes and songs across the Spanish-speaking world in a musical, bilingual way. From Latino classics like "Los pollitos" ("Little Chickens") to rhymes like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" ("La araña chiquita") to popular hits like La Bamba, kids and families can enjoy singing along in English and Spanish. Each nursery rhyme is sung in English and then immediately followed by a replay of events while it is sung in Spanish, with early learning concepts woven throughout such as letters, numbers, words, etc. Launched in 2016, Canticos is now the leading bilingual education brand offering award-winning books, consumer products, digital apps, music, sing-along videos, toys and more. Canticos can be found across Nickelodeon properties including Nick Jr., Nick Jr.com, Noggin as well as YouTube.
Spanish is the second-most spoken language in the world and Hispanics are the largest racial or ethnic minority group in the United States making up 18% of the population. At nearly 60 million people, the United States has the second-largest Latino population in the world after Mexico and it is larger than countries such as Colombia, Spain and Argentina. Today, more than one-in-four of the nation’s newborns are Hispanic and in 18 states and the District of Columbia, Latino children account for at least 20% of public school kindergarten students.
Increasing, parents and educators are recognizing the benefits of being bilingual. Studies have shown that bilingual children were better at solving puzzles compared to monolingual children. A New York Times report on these studies declared that being bilingual “can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.”
“The goal of Canticos is to bring families together through a shared love of languages, music and culture,” said Susie Jaramillo, President and Chief Creative Officer, Encantos. “I wanted to create something beautiful and fun to celebrate nursery rhymes with kids of all backgrounds. We couldn’t be more excited to be recognized by Kidscreen with this award.”
ABOUT ENCANTOS
Encantos is on a mission to inspire 21st century kids to reach their potential through 21st century skills. Using the power of entertainment & technology to reimagine education for the direct-to-consumer age, Encantos builds purpose-driven family brands focused on kids 14 & under including Canticos, Skeletitos and Tiny Travelers. It’s learner-centered approach and stage-based digital and physical offerings include apps, books, consumer products, subscription services and videos, and have received accolades and awards from Common Sense Media, Kidscreen, Kirkus Reviews, Parents Magazine and School Library Journal. For more information, visit encantosbrands.com and follow @encantosbrands on instagram and twitter.
