When children reach the 8-12 age range, they are starting to develop a sense of their own identity and are ready and curious to explore the world beyond. Compass KidZ activities encourage reflection, empowerment, sharing, expressing pride in one’s country and culture and models responsible sharing via the Internet.

The goal of Compass Kidz is to inspire and educate, so that kids everywhere will gain an authentic appreciation of contemporary cultures around the world. We strive to be representative of kids’ experiences in each country – kids who attend school and might be learning about the US and other world cultures today. We draw on the experiences of real kids to maintain this authenticity. We also select to profile aspects of cultures that are embedded in many relevant US educational standards for geography, cultural literacy and character development, with the overall goal of helping students become responsible 'citizens of the world'.

The profiles of CKidZ Ambassadors, the children featured in our passports, are based on the lives of real kids that we have met through our Compass Kidz™ Project, working with teachers and students from around the world.  The Ambassador faces you see are real kids from these countries, but the profile is the composite of many of the kids we have met. We have chosen this approach so that the Ambassador we spotlight for a country provides just one of many snapshots of a culture, and inspires real kids to join as PenPalZ and to share their profiles and stories in the same way. The purpose of the PenPalZ Club is to feature the cultural variety and diversity of REAL kids, so that real kids can encounter real kids, and build kid-to-kid connections around the globe.

The goal of providing CKidZ Ambassadors is not only to share cultural experiences, but also to provide PenPalZ with a model for sharing and reflection. Reasonably good grammar and spelling are a part of the modeling (although we will post PenPalZ submissions as is, editing only for privacy). We update profiles and blogs regularly, with significant as well as everyday life experiences to inspire real kids to share their lives in the same way. Our ultimate goal is for CKidZ Ambassadors to continually inspire REAL KIDS to JOIN, SHARE, CONNECT – so the PenPalZ Club continues to reflect a DYNAMIC community of REAL KIDS from around the WORLD.

Jennifer Apy is a creative and collaborative leader within the children’s educational products industry, who started her career as Brand Manager for the classic children’s geography product line, “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” She has held leadership positions with a variety of companies to create educational toys, books, games, software and online content. Learning tools and educational software were an early passion, fueled by studies in Cognitive and Computer Science at Brown University. Ms. Apy also holds a MBA from Stanford University.

Nancy Daniels is an award-winning designer and creative director, with more than twenty years of experience in many areas of design including branding, environments and print for clients around the world. Her passion for travel and creating meaningful and relevant learning experiences inspires the development of Compass KidZ. Ms. Daniels holds a Master’s degree in Learning, Design and Technology from Stanford University School of Education and an undergraduate degree in Art History & Design from Stanford University.