Our Story - Our Mission - Our Movement
“In 2003 my husband and I adopted two brothers from an orphanage in Latvia. Like most parents in the US, we sent them to school with hopes and dreams for them to learn and grow. When they started school and began the journey of learning to read, that journey quickly turned into a gut-wrenching struggle for the boys and our family as a whole. They had excellent teachers, but just as we noticed at home, the teachers were having trouble engaging them and holding their attention. Together, we had exhausted all the tools and resources available, and nothing was working for our boys. They needed a solution that would engage and hold their attention and make learning fun. We, along with their educators, exhausted all the tools and resources that were available. Nothing worked.
At the time, I was leading another Edtech company. One day, one of our young employees said he had “something really cool” to show me. It was a simple flashcard that used augmented reality to make the Eiffel Tower pop off the page in 3D.
My mind’s eye immediately saw a giraffe popping up and interacting with children. I was blown away at the potential this new technology had for engaging early learners! I was smitten with the thought of creating a magical learning environment, not only for our boys but for children everywhere. This led me and my team to start developing a solution that would become Letters alive, and in 2014 we launched the company Alive Studios.
Since then, we have heard thousands of incredible stories from teachers, administrators and parents on how our technology-powered curriculum is changing the lives of their children in the classroom and at home. These amazing stories are what inspire us to continue creating resources that foster a positive and impactful learning experience enabling children to build a strong foundation that will lead to success in life.”
Alive Studios Zoo is a woman-owned company that has developed a patented 3D augmented reality technology to create mind-boggling learning experiences for early learners. Alive Studios supplemental resources are in thousands of schools across America including 26 other countries.
To create a joy-filled and engaging 21st century learning experience that wins early literacy for every PreK and Kindergarten child in America.
America’s children continue to have a literacy crisis. The 2022 Nation’s Report Card shows 67% of our 4th graders ARE NOT reading proficiently. Our movement is to help shift these scores so that 67% ARE reading proficiently.
Cynthia is the founder and CEO of Alive Studios Zoo, an award-winning company that uses patented, augmented reality technology (3D without the glasses) to teach foundational reading and math skills. As the “Chief Zoo Keeper,” Alive Studios Zoo has been honored as Best of Show at ISTE 2019 and featured on ABC World News Now. Cynthia has been showcased in various newspapers and magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, and Inc. Her previous company, Logical Choice Technologies, was named one of the Top 40 EdTech Companies in America, Top 15 Fastest Growing EdTech Women-Owned Companies in North America, and profiled in the Inc. 500.
With a B.S. in Elementary Education, certification in Memory and Classroom Learning, graduate of MIT’s “Birthing of Giants” entrepreneurial program, and mother whose adopted sons from Latvia struggled with English language acquisition, Cynthia has been passionate about creating innovative technologies to increase engagement and learning. Working with educators across the U.S. and in 26 countries worldwide, Cynthia’s goal is to help teachers build the foundational literacy and math skills that all children need for continued success inside and outside the classroom.
Cynthia currently resides in Georgia with her husband, Ron, Alive Studios CTO. She is the mother of 4, Nonna of 2, and personal zoo keeper of her brood of chickens and one crazy rooster.
Cynthia Kaye has been a speaker, presenter, and keynote for thousands of early educators over the last decade. Her presentation style is always fun, emotional, inspiring, and educational. If you would like to schedule Cynthia for your event, please complete the request form below: