[/amazon_link] Happy New Year from Mom’s Choice Awards®! Plenty of people set new goals or resolutions during for the upcoming year to better themselves in a variety of ways – have you ever thought of making it a goal to learn a new language?
How many languages do you speak? Can you understand a language but not know how to read it? Is raising a bilingual or multilingual child one of your parenting goals?
You’ve probably heard of the many benefits to learning a new language: new prospects for travel, jobs, and even broadened ways of thinking. Last but not least, it can be a lot of fun!
Sometimes we don’t do it because we think its going to be hard. But is it? Many language-learners have found total immersion to be best way. After all, that’s how babies learn their native language – by being surrounded by it.
Heidi Stock created Whistlefritz specifically for that purpose, to educate children in new languages through immersion in a fun and entertaining way! Please welcome Heidi to the Spotlight!
MCA: Welcome to the spotlight Heidi! Can you please tell us about what motivated you to create your Whistlefritz series?
Heidi: Research and common sense reveal that early childhood is the best time to learn a language. When my children were very young, I looked everywhere for early language learning materials featuring native speakers. I searched for DVDs with:
- engaging story lines — words spoken naturally in context– rather than just a single word here or there;
- featuring LIVE speakers rather than cartoons simulating speech; and
- teaching through immersion (i.e. hearing just the target language) rather than translation.
When I couldn’t find programs that were educational and entertaining, I decided to create them: engaging, playful, live-action Spanish immersion programs for my kids and kids everywhere.
MCA: Now that you have an MCA award-winning educational DVD, what are your goals for the next year?
Heidi: To continue to expand our award-winning series of language immersion products by creating new DVDs and CDs in Spanish and French.
I also want to develop high-quality educational resources for home educators and parents, including lesson plans.
MCA: Have you thought about ways that your Mom’s Choice Award® will help you attain your goals?
Heidi: The Mom’s Choice Awards® is an invaluable resource in helping Whistlefritz attain its business goals.
The Honoring Excellence seal is immediately recognizable to parents and educators as a benchmark of excellence in the area of children’s media. Being able to display a Gold Seal distinguishes our products from the products of our competitors and indicates that our programs have met the high standards of production quality, educational value, and entertainment set out by Mom’s Choice.
Being a repeat Mom’s Choice Award® winner also provides our company and our programs with great exposure. Mom’s Choice Awards® provide broad-based exposure to consumers and vendors through the website and social media. Participating in the Honoree marketing “boot camp” provides invaluable marketing insights.
Unlike other awards programs, the Mom’s Choice Awards® program doesn’t end with the award. Mom’s Choice provides invaluable insights into social media and other marketing long after the award has been granted.
When you win a Mom’s Choice Award®, you not only get great exposure, you gain an experienced and insightful marketing mentor! [amazon_link id=”B0063GNPQ6″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]
MCA: We’re glad you’re capitalizing on your honoree benefits! Can you share with us what you learned about yourself as an entrepreneur in creating your award-winning product?
Heidi: Just like parenting, being an entrepreneur is an incredibly challenging and rewarding experience. The company was started shortly before the recession began. I wasn’t deterred by the bad economy, because I believed so much in what I was doing. It is an incredible gift to be able to participate in a child’s education.
MCA: Since launching the Whistlefritz DVD series, what has been your most rewarding experience in promoting or sharing it with the public? Do you have a favorite memory?
Heidi: The best part of the job is reading emails and posts from parents, grandparents, and teachers. Parents and grandparents have written that they are learning the language along with their children!
Every week I get notes from families saying their children are participating with the videos and continue to use the Spanish words that they learn in the videos in their everyday lives. It is wonderful to receive pictures and videos of children dancing and singing along to the videos in Spanish.
MCA: Wonderful! As a new honoree, do you have any questions you’d like some of the “old hands” to answer for you?
Heidi: Hmmm, there are so many questions, but here’s one we’ve been grappling with for a while: what’s the best way to break into big box, retail distribution?
MCA: Good question! Let us know, MCA Alumni – how did you make it big?
Mom’s Choice Awards® Honors
Spanish for Kids: La Fiesta de Fritzi (Fritzi’s Party)
by Whistlefritz
Gold – Viewing, Audio Experiences
Cha, Cha, Cha — French Learning Songs (Chansons pour enfants)
by Whistlefritz
Gold -Viewing, Audio Experiences
Contact, Connect, and Network with Donna
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The Alumni Spotlight is a periodic feature on the official Mom’s Choice Awards® blog. It is part of our ongoing effort to “shine the spotlight” on you and your award-winning, family-friendly products, services, and media.
