The way that young children are being assessed in the classroom is broken.

Early childhood educators typically assess young children through an observation-only approach. However, this approach is burdensome for teachers and puts children at risk of being inaccurately assessed due to implicit bias or other factors.

Cognitive ToyBox was spun out of a National Science Foundation I-Corps for Learning grant from NYU in 2015. The co-founders, Drs. Tammy Kwan and Brenden Lake, spoke with over 100 early childhood administrators, teachers and families. They heard firsthand about the time-consuming challenges of early childhood assessment: teachers would typically spend 4-6 hours per week observing children, taking notes on their development, and then transcribing those notes into a digital system. Moreover, they would look at the data on an aggregated basis just 2-3 times per year. Even though they had collected data on a weekly basis, they were missing the opportunity to leverage it to inform week-to-week instruction.

We founded Cognitive ToyBox to change this antiquated approach. We developed the first fully integrated observational and direct (game-based) assessment platform for early childhood. This approach returns 100 hours of instructional time to individual teachers per year while providing accurate data on each child’s development. With accurate assessment, teachers are able to support every child’s needs and development and can ensure they can start school ready to succeed.

Cognitive ToyBox is helping birth to five programs across all education settings - whether it be home-based, center-based, or school-based - across the country.

Join us.

Our Founders

Dr. Tammy Kwan

Co-Founder and CEO

Dr. Tammy Kwan founded Cognitive ToyBox in 2015. The inspiration for the company came from her work with NYC Head Start and Pre-K programs during her graduate studies at New York University. Her research sits at the intersection of early childhood development and technology. She has served as the Principal Investigator for numerous grants, including those funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Education, and the Gates Foundation.

Tammy is a frequent speaker at federal and state events focused on innovation in early childhood. Tammy holds an EdD and MBA from New York University and a BA in Psychology from Stanford University.