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View CartMeet Susie Jaramillo, founder of Encantos
What better way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month than through learning about Hispanic culture? According to Susie Jaramillo, founder of the children’s educational platform Encantos, learning through culturally relevant stories is what will help bridge the 21st century skills gap for our kids. Through their innovative play-based method called Storyteaching and kid-friendly technology, Encantos personalizes learning for kids at every stage through stories that capture their attention, while teaching them skills of the future, like creativity and critical thinking, curiosity and compassion, financial literacy and global citizenship. We talked to Susie about how to bring culture into our homes, and what makes Encantos so special.
Crate and Kids: Why did you start Encantos?
Susie Jaramillo: As a parent bringing kids into the world, I felt the severe disconnect between education and entertainment and the complete lack of strong representation for children of color. So we created Encantos: a place where stories from diverse storytellers come to life to help kids learn!
Susie and her family, including her 2 tiny travelers.
Crate and Kids: Why is celebrating culture so important to you?
Susie Jaramillo: Culture is a part of who we are, and I believe if you love who you are, you celebrate it every day—from the food that you eat, the music you listen to, what you read, what you watch, even the way you dress. It’s your identity, it’s part of what defines you and binds you to a given community. And from these communities, from our families, from our cultures, we draw strength. And that is invaluable. And that is why it is so important to celebrate culture. To remind ourselves how special and valuable we are, just as we are.
Crate and Kids: How can parents utilize Encantos to teach culture and celebrate Hispanic Heritage month?
Susie Jaramillo: First, by learning Spanish through culture. When your child learns Spanish with Canticos, it’s not a dry vocabulary lesson. They are learning songs that children sing all around the world, especially nursery rhymes of the Spanish-speaking world. They are learning concepts, letters, phonics and early numeracy all in two languages. They relate to Los Pollitos characters and when they learn language through culture this way, it is more memorable, more meaningful and a deeper connection. Second, by using stories to educate and celebrate. There’s an Indian proverb that says: “Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” Encantos uses curriculum-infused stories to engage and inspire children to discover the world around them. Stories are magical tools for teaching, they engage our thinking, emotions and imagination all at once. We bring this to life in our beautiful books, animated videos, songs and in our new Encantos app.
Susie’s goal is to bring families together through a shared love of languages, music and culture.
Crate and Kids: How will you be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month?
Susie Jaramillo: I will be posting and sharing fun facts, pieces I think folks should see. I’ll be writing a blog post on the Latino history here in the U.S. We have been here since the beginning and our influence permeates and has helped shape this country. I’ll also be attending a Rodrigo y Gabriela concert, because I love flamenco guitars!
From life skills to literacy skills, learn more about how Encantos can work with your child, at encantosworld.com.