Business Partner Spotlight – DOGONews

DOGOnews.com – Online Source for News-Savvy Kids!

After twenty years in portfolio management, Meera Dolasia didn’t set out to start a children’s online network.  However, like many successful entrepreneurs, she discovered a need.  While helping her daughter research a school project, Meera was frustrated by the lack of kid-friendly online resources.  She responded by creating her own current events report geared to children.  After her daughter’s teacher eagerly requested the report for use in her classroom, Meera recognized the wider need for kid-oriented online news.  Meera’s report quickly evolved from a monthly print publication to www.dogonews.com, the leading online destination for current events for kids.

DOGOnews is kid-friendly, informative and offers news from a younger point-of-view.  As Meera explains, “The goal is to provide a fun, safe and interactive environment for children to read and learn about interesting current events.”  DOGOnews articles are short and simple, and include photos and videos to keep children focused and interested.  Articles cover a wide variety of topics — from science to social studies.  Content is augmented with an integrated dictionary for challenging words, and maps for geographical context.  DOGOnews is a great resource in the classroom, allowing teachers to create custom pages of select news, articles, videos or books to complement their lesson plans.  Teachers and parents can rest easy while kids browse the site, as content is closely monitored to ensure that it is appropriate for the young audience.

Following the success of DOGOnews, Meera recently launched www.dogobooks.com, a website devoted to reading and book reviews by-and-for-kids.  With over 30,000 book reviews, DOGObooks is becoming a favorite place for kids to discover and discuss books they love.  In partnership with leading publishers, DOGObooks is hosting its first-ever online summer reading program this year.  Kids can earn free books for reading this summer and schools with the most participants will receive up to 500 books for their school library.

While teachers and parents appreciate the value of DOGOnews and DOGObooks, the real content drivers are the children.  The sites names reflects this focus, as “dogo” is the Swahili word for young or small — a nod to Meera’s native country of Kenya.  When asked what has been most surprising about running the websites, Meera says, “children are so web savvy, and not afraid of commenting. They have amazing critical thinking skills and strong opinions.”

DOGOnews is a wonderful venue for kids to learn, share opinions, and discuss what is happening in the world around them.  As Meera explains, “they come for the education and stay for the fun!”  We agree with Meera that children are naturally curious, and that DOGOnews and DOGObooks have a place in every classroom and on every student computer in the world.

Kiddo! is hugely appreciative of DOGOnews for being a very generous supporter of Kiddo!!!