Moonbug Entertainment, Caterpillar Captions Partner for Early Literacy

Moonbug Entertainment, a subsidiary of Candle Media, has announced a partnership with Caterpillar Captions, creators of the world’s first literacy-grade captions built by academics, designers and accessibility experts. As part of the partnership, Moonbug will integrate Caterpillar Captions into content on its YouTube channel, “Moonbug Literacy – Read Along with Captions,” later this year. The collaboration seeks to transform early learning by making reading more engaging and enjoyable for young viewers.

Nearly one-third of U.K. children struggle with reading proficiency, and over half of 8-to-18-year-olds say they do not enjoy reading in their free time. Research has shown that turning on captions when viewing content can double the chance of a child leaving school as a proficient reader.

Integrating Caterpillar Captions onto “CoComelon,” “Little Angel,” “Blippi” and other Moonbug content reinforces the partnership’s mission to inject fun into reading for 4-8-year-olds, a crucial age for literacy development.

Moonbug is committed to helping parents and children bond and play through entertainment, working with experts in education and research to ensure content provides learning value that complements the skills kids learn through play and time with family. Since 2020, Moonbug has turned on captions for its content on its Youtube Channel, “Moonbug Literacy – Read Along with Captions.” This approach introduces written language in a relaxed, enjoyable context, promoting independence and reinforcing reading and vocabulary skills.

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This partnership aims to play a pivotal role in bolstering the literacy skills of the next generation, making the government’s target of 90% literacy by 2030 more achievable.

“We’re delighted to be joining forces with Moonbug on the launch of Caterpillar Captions,” says Henry Warren, co-founder, Caterpillar Captions. “Literacy is a critical issue that is solvable. Our goal is to help a billion children to read by 2027, and this partnership, our first with any media company, represents a significant stride towards that goal.”

“We have always prioritized learning in our content-creation process and our collaboration with Caterpillar Captions is a natural extension of a partnership, which is already bringing joy to families,” says Jon Benoy, managing director, operations and music, Moonbug Entertainment. “I’m excited for the future of this partnership and our journey to propelling early literacy for kids.”