Educational software, in service of kids.
Spark & Anvil exists to build educational iOS apps for kids ages 5-14 that respect their attention, protect their privacy, and trust their intelligence. We're restructuring as a non-profit so this mission can outlast any individual product cycle.
Mission
Build, ship, and steward a portfolio of educational iOS apps that are free forever, standards-aligned, COPPA-compliant by construction, and designed for face-to-face play between kids and the adults around them.
Vision
A world where every kid age 5-14 has access to thoughtful, kind, rigorous educational software — without ads, without tracking, without subscription, without compromise. The apps belong to the kids. The mission belongs to the public.
Values
- Kids first. Every design decision starts with the kid's experience and developmental fit.
- Free forever. We don't paywall learning. Mission revenue (donations, grants, school licenses) keeps the apps free.
- Trauma-informed by default. Apps touching heavy content (loss, conflict, identity) follow SAMHSA TIP 57 principles + external sensitivity review.
- Family-cohesion-aware. Pass-and-play modes invite parent + sibling + grandparent into the play moment.
- Open about how we work. Public methodology (distributed-narrative, on-device AI), public docs, public annual report.
138 apps, one mission
From cipher-breaking to chess pins, from co-regulation breathing to vocabulary games to biome ecology — 138 apps share one chunky-cartoon visual language, one on-device-AI substrate, one COPPA-by-construction privacy posture, and one distributed-narrative pedagogy that lets named characters embody specific curricular concepts.
The pivot from indie studio to non-profit is in motion. The work continues. The apps stay free.