Edtech Startup Ello Gives Back to Local DC Hospitals Including MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Children’s National Hospital
August 27 2024 - 9:46AM
Ello, developer of the world’s most advanced AI reading app, will
be donating iPads, hundreds of early-age children’s books, and free
access to the Ello app at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
and Children’s National Hospital to help support children
hospitalized during their long-term care. In addition to books,
this initiative includes literacy activities to help children's
learning journey and bring joy to their lives during their hospital
stay.
Learning loss for chronically ill children while they are
hospitalized is a topic that often doesn’t get a lot of attention.
According to a report from the American Association of Pediatrics,
“Many chronic disorders require frequent hospitalizations,
resulting in loss of school days and poor academic
achievement. The average time students with multiple
disabilities are absent from school is 28.9 days each time they are
hospitalized.”
“Our young patients in long-term care need a lot of support,
including literacy support, so they don’t fall behind while they’re
not in the classroom. Ello’s donation will give them the chance to
read fun, engaging stories to lift their spirits while working on
their literacy skills during their hospital stay,” said Katie
Wallace, child life coordinator, MedStar Georgetown University
Hospital.
Ello’s co-founder Dr. Elizabeth Adams, a Licensed Clinical Child
Psychologist who supported families through therapy and clinical
work before starting Ello, will be meeting with families and
representatives from the hospital’s Child Life Services team to
donate iPads and books along with unlimited access to the Ello
app.
“Early in my career working at hospitals, I noticed this loss of
learning among young patients, especially in oncology and other
specialties where the children are absent for long periods from
their peers and school environment,” said Dr. Adams, co-founder and
CXO of Ello. “I’m thrilled that Ello can be part of a solution for
these patients and their families, to help with the literacy
support they need while they are hospitalized while also giving
them fun, engaging books and activities to do to break up very long
days.”
Elizabeth brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Ello
and the company is making significant strides in the field of
education technology. She has dedicated her professional life to
assessing, diagnosing, and treating children with developmental
differences. Her research has included a focus on parent stress and
support, cognitive and academic development, and language and
literacy acquisition, particularly for children with hearing loss.
During her clinical internship at Children's National Hospital, she
witnessed firsthand the impact of frequent chronic and long-term
hospitalizations on children's learning loss. This experience
profoundly influenced her career path and commitment to child
development which led to her creating edtech startup, Ello. Since
founding Ello, Elizabeth was included on the Inc. 2024 Female
Founders 250 List for growing revenue 265 percent and Ello’s
subscriber base 146 percent to address childhood illiteracy with an
AI powered coaching platform.
Elizabeth met her co-founders Tom Sayer and Catalin Moreno Voss
through their shared passion for child development and learning.
Together, they embarked on an unusual journey for a Silicon Valley
outsider, merging Elizabeth's extensive experience in traditional
settings with Tom and Catalin's tech expertise. Their collaborative
vision led to the creation of the Public Benefits Corporation,
Ello, and an AI-powered reading tutor designed to support
children's literacy development.
Since its inception in 2020, Ello has grown exponentially,
serving tens of thousands of children and earned a spot as one of
Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2024. Last summer, the
company successfully raised a Series A round of funding and
expanded its team to 40 members globally, with offices in Brazil,
New York, and San Francisco.
About ElloEllo is helping to solve childhood
illiteracy by scaling 1:1 instruction to maximize the learning
potential of all children, regardless of resources. Its first
product is the world’s most advanced reading companion, powered by
proprietary speech recognition and generative AI. It listens,
understands, and engages with children to teach them critical
reading skills as they read out loud. Ello is founded by a team of
experts in education, childhood development and artificial
intelligence, and backed by investors including Y Combinator,
Goodwater, Project A and Homebrew. Learn more at
https://ello.com.
Kerry MetzdorfBig Swing
Communications978-463-2575kerry@big-swing.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
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