When co-founders Lou Gray and Benjamin Slivka first set out to create Dreambox Learning, they knew they wanted to create a successful way to combine math and fun – a near impossible challenge according to most students.

“When Ben and I started the company we knew we wanted to develop a product that was not only educational, but that also provided a level of effectiveness and engagement to the user,” Gray explained. “Not only should it be entertaining, but it was really important that the kids used the product to learn. Most the ‘edutainment’ products out there are really just practice and are not about real learning.”

Dreambox Learning allows kids, from kindergarten through second grade, to select a game character to travel along different levels and adventures while learning the building blocks of mathematics. As the child navigates through the adventure park, the screen adapts according to the individual child’s needs, learning speed and understanding.

“By playing the game, children are making individual choices as they go, so they get empowered and can have a feeling of ownership as they navigate through the math problems,” Slivka explained, the chairman of Dreambox Learning. “There are four different themes in addition to 30 different lesson experiences in the Adventure Park. It creates a very deep and broad offering,” he added.

The online game is now accessed for free by 150 schools around the country. Dreambox Learning is used as a tool in after-school programs and for supplemental use in addition to ongoing in-classroom math instruction.

To test the effectiveness of the program, the Dreambox team hired a group of experts to write and implement a math test to students in schools in both the Bellevue and Lake Washington school districts. The students took the math test then played the online math game everyday during an after-school program for two weeks. They then performed the same paper test two weeks later and they had a reported 19 percent improvement in relation to engaging in the Dreambox Learning product.

“We suggest a child play Dreambox a couple times a week for short periods of time,” said Lou. “The game is meant to be in addition to math education in the classroom. It’s like an extra vitamin to learn the building blocks of math.”

The Dreambox Learning team is made up of computer programmers, designers, software engineers, and an academic team made up of four teachers from various districts. The former elementary math teachers stepped out of the classroom setting and into the Dreambox office to reach kids on a global level.

“Part of the magic of this company is that the different teams have so much respect for each other and learn from one another,” said Sarah Daniels, the vice president of Marketing for Dreambox. “Dreambox Learning is a supplemental educational tool,” Daniels added. “One of the ways that we are unique is that our product meets the standards of schools and yet we’ve made it so parents and kids can use it at home.”

Daniels relates the online math game to having a personal tutor.

“Having a personal tutor in subjects such as math can be extremely useful for a child who may be struggling with the tough concepts of foundational learning. Dreambox acts as a tutor because it adapts to each individual child’s learning style and pace,” Daniels explained. “Just like a great tutor, our program observes the pace each student is learning and adapts to keep them challenged.

“Going into a classroom, you have 30 kids, but they all come to the table with a different style of learning and at a different starting point so five minutes into it, you will see that the computer screens all look differently because of the adaptive nature of the math program,” Daniels added.

The online educational game can be used inside the classroom or inside the home.

“We see children, who before didn’t take to math, have found this to be a great way to learn the basic foundations of math in a fun and creative way,” Gray explained. “It’s private, effective and fun.”

No software is required to download Dreambox Learning and parents have the ability to monitor how their child is progressing. The program includes an online parent dashboard that gives a window into the lessons and the game experience so parents can interact with the child as they advance through the game. The program also offers parents additional tips they can use outside of the computer.

To learn more about Dreambox Learning or to download a free trial, visit www.dreambox.com.