Highlights for Children
Highlights for Children is a privately held, 80-year-old American children's media company that publishes age-stratified magazines (Hello, High Five, Highlights, brainPLAY, CoComelon), subscription boxes, and books, and operates Tinkergarten outdoor learning and Zaner-Bloser K-2 ELA curriculum, selling primarily direct-to-consumer to parents of children ages 0-12.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1946
- HeadquartersColumbus, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Highlights for Children does
Highlights for Children is a privately held American children's media company founded in 1946 by Dr. Garry Cleveland Myers and Caroline Clark Myers and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, with editorial offices in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. The company is owned by the founding family and operates independently with 501-1,000 employees. Its core product is an age-stratified magazine portfolio — Hello (ages 0-2), High Five (2-6), High Five Bilingüe (3-5), Highlights (6-12), brainPLAY (7+), and the CoComelon mini magazine (1-4) — supplemented by subscription boxes (High Five Activity Box, Learning Box, I Can Read Book Club, Puzzle Buzz, Puzzlemania, Which Way USA), books via Highlights Press and Highlights Learning, digital platforms (HighlightsKids.com, mobile apps, podcasts), and acquired platforms including Tinkergarten (outdoor play-based learning for children six months to 8 years, acquired April 2023) and the Zaner-Bloser K-2 ELA curriculum subsidiary.
The business model is anchored on recurring DTC subscriptions priced at approximately $48/year for most magazines and $24.98/month for the Learning Box, with annual automatic renewal, free shipping, and a satisfaction guarantee. Distribution is multi-channel: a proprietary e-commerce storefront at shop.highlights.com, Amazon (reportedly growing 300% year-over-year), retail at Target, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores, and a dedicated group sales program for schools and bulk buyers. Revenue is further diversified by licensed partnerships with Google (Be Internet Awesome), Moonbug Entertainment (CoComelon), the Denver Broncos, MetLife, and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, plus curriculum sales via Zaner-Bloser and outdoor learning subscriptions via Tinkergarten.
The company sells primarily to parents and caregivers of children ages 0-12, with secondary segments in schools and educators (K-2 classrooms, Scripps Spelling Bee partner schools) and organizations buying in bulk. The strategic posture in the last three years has shifted toward multi-channel expansion (Amazon/retail, group sales), brand-extension partnerships with high-IP collaborators, leadership buildout in e-commerce and consumer products, and geographic reach via Tinkergarten's 50-state teacher network. No revenue, ARR, or GMV figures are disclosed, and no external institutional investors or parent company are identified.
Highlights for Children firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Highlights for Children
- Legal name
- Highlights for Children, Inc.
- Website
- https://highlights.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1946
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Highlights for Children is a privately held, 80-year-old American children's media company that publishes age-stratified magazines (Hello, High Five, Highlights, brainPLAY, CoComelon), subscription boxes, and books, and operates Tinkergarten outdoor learning and Zaner-Bloser K-2 ELA curriculum, selling primarily direct-to-consumer to parents of children ages 0-12.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Highlights for Children industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Educational Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921), Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Children’s Activity & Practice Books (Workbooks, Puzzles, Handwriting) (EDAGAIAE), Children’s Activity & Workbook Publishing (MPAJAFAG), Children’s Books & Educational Readers Retail (CRALAAAD), Early Learning & Preschool Trade (Ages 0–5) (EDAGAIAA)
Keywords
Where Highlights for Children is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbus
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Highlights for Children business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Magazine Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from monthly/bi-monthly magazine deliveries including Hello, High Five, Highlights, brainPLAY, High Five Bilingüe, and CoComelon mini magazines. Annual subscriptions with automatic renewal options.
- Subscription Boxes: Quarterly and monthly subscription boxes including High Five Activity Box, Learning Box (15 Minutes a Day), I Can Read Box, and Puzzle Book Clubs (Puzzle Buzz, Puzzlemania, Which Way USA).
- Book Publishing and Retail Sales: Highlights Press and Highlights Learning books sold through Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores. Includes licensed products and merchandise.
- Licensing and Brand Partnerships: Licensing agreements with global partners for brand extensions, custom magazines (Denver Broncos, Ringling Bros.), and co-branded products. Also includes Google.org partnership funding.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard Magazine Subscription - $48/year |
| Subscription | Monthly | 15 Minutes a Day Learning Box - $24.98/month |
| Subscription | Annual | brainPLAY + Highlights Bundle - $63/year |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Affiliate Program Commission |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Highlights for Children product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Highlights for Children publishes and sells age-stratified children's magazines (Hello, High Five, High Five Bilingüe, Highlights, brainPLAY, CoComelon mini), subscription activity boxes and book clubs, and consumer books under Highlights Press. Its portfolio also includes the Tinkergarten outdoor play-based learning program and Zaner-Bloser K-2 ELA curriculum, delivered through direct-to-consumer subscriptions, retail, and digital platforms.
Product overview
Highlights for Children is a global media brand with a multi-product portfolio spanning print magazines, subscription boxes, books, and digital platforms. The core product line consists of six magazine titles: Hello (ages 0-2), High Five (ages 2-6), High Five Bilingüe (ages 3-5), Highlights (ages 6-12), brainPLAY (ages 7+), and the CoComelon mini magazine (ages 1-4). Subscription offerings include the High Five Activity Box (quarterly), I Can Read Book Club, Learning Box, and three Puzzle Book Clubs (Puzzle Buzz, Puzzlemania, Which Way USA). The company also publishes books through Highlights Press and Highlights Learning. Digital offerings include HighlightsKids.com, mobile apps, and podcast content. Following the 2023 acquisition of Tinkergarten, the portfolio expanded to include outdoor play-based learning programs. Zaner-Bloser provides evidence-based K-2 ELA curriculum. Recent partnerships with Google (Be Internet Awesome), Moonbug Entertainment (CoComelon), Ringling Bros., MetLife, and others extend the brand's reach through collaborative content.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Highlights Early Learning: Early learning division of Highlights for Children
- Hidden Pictures
- High Five
- brainPLAY
- Hello
- Tinkergarten
- Highlights Press
Products and services
- Hello Magazine 16-page magazine for babies and toddlers ages 0-2 featuring colorful images, stories, simple activities, poems and songs, with wipe-clean moisture-resistant pages mailed in a sealed envelope for baby-safe handling.
- High Five Magazine Monthly 36-page magazine for preschoolers and kindergartners ages 2-6 featuring read-aloud stories, hands-on crafts, kid-friendly recipes and puzzles, designed to inspire curiosity and build foundational skills.
- High Five Bilingüe Magazine Dual-language magazine for children ages 3-5 with stories, puzzles and activities entirely in Spanish repeated in English, plus shared bilingual pages for early language learning.
- Highlights Magazine Classic 44-page monthly magazine for elementary-school-age children ages 6-12 featuring stories, puzzles, riddles, experiments, craft projects and activities with characters such as Goofus and Gallant, delivered for 80+ years.
- brainPLAY Magazine All-puzzle bi-monthly magazine (32 pages, 6 issues per year) for children ages 7+ featuring Hidden Pictures scenes, logic and riddle puzzles and tricky brainteasers for screen-free brain-boosting play.
- Highlights CoComelon Mini Magazine 16-page mini magazine collaboration with Moonbug Entertainment for children ages 1-4, featuring CoComelon characters (JJ, Cody, Nina, CeCe) in song-based adventures with games, puzzles, recipes and tear-resistant rounded-corner pages.
- High Five Activity Box Quarterly subscription activity box delivered in December, March, June and September, containing hands-on activities, sensory materials and crafts designed for preschoolers and kindergartners ages 3-5.
- I Can Read Book Club Subscription book club for early readers with categories for Earliest Readers, Emerging Readers and Established Readers, delivering curated books to build reading skills and confidence.
- Learning Box (15 Minutes a Day to School Success) Monthly subscription learning box for Pre-K, Kindergarten and First Grade developed with teachers and aligned to school standards, featuring 15-minute learning bursts of practice workbooks and activity books at $24.98 per month (first box 50% off).
- Puzzle Buzz Subscription puzzle book club for children ages 4-7 featuring age-appropriate puzzles, mazes and Hidden Pictures activities delivered regularly.
- Puzzlemania Subscription puzzle book club for children ages 7+ featuring more challenging puzzles, mazes and brain-boosting activities.
- Which Way USA Subscription puzzle book club for children ages 7+ featuring state-themed puzzles, geography activities and Hidden Pictures challenges focused on exploring different U.S. states.
- Tinkergarten Research-backed, play-based outdoor learning curriculum and teacher-led classes for children six months to 8 years of age, with remote teacher training and on-demand services delivered through a technology-enabled network across all 50 states.
- Zaner-Bloser (Superkids) Evidence-based English language arts curriculum (Superkids) for grades K-2, offering research-based instructional programs for handwriting and literacy instruction as a wholly owned Highlights subsidiary.
- Explore It Kit Subscription kit offering hands-on exploration activities for early learners as part of Highlights' early childhood learning portfolio.
- ABC 123 Handwriting Readiness Resource Kit Handwriting readiness instruction kit for young children to develop pre-writing skills, distributed through Highlights' early learning portfolio.
- Highlights Be Internet Awesome Special Edition Magazine Special edition Highlights Magazine built on Google's Be Internet Awesome curriculum, with free digital resources promoting digital wellbeing and online safety for children, and 250,000 additional copies distributed to literacy partners serving lower-income communities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 1.5 billion magazines mailed since founding in 1946
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Highlights for Children
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Highlights for Children technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature3 records
Highlights for Children partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered secondary, minor and core.
- Ringling Bros. and Barnum & BaileysecondaryCustom School-Edition Magazine Partnership announced June 2026 to bring circus-themed educational content to children.
- MetLifeminorPartnership to turn Summer of Soccer into confidence-building moments for kids, announced June 2026.
- New Worlds ReadingsecondaryPartnership to support children's literacy in Florida, announced March 2026.
- Columbus Blue Jackets FoundationsecondaryPartnership to advance childhood literacy in Central Ohio, announced March 2026.
- New EngensecondaryDigital marketing partner named August 2025 to support consumer business growth.
- Save the ChildrensecondaryPartnership to bring access to learning and educational resources to kids during summer, announced June 2025.
- Moonbug Entertainment (CoComelon)coreFirst-of-its-kind collaboration creating Highlights CoComelon mini magazine featuring characters from the most-watched kids franchise. Each 16-page issue is themed to CoComelon songs with puzzles, games, and learning activities for ages 1-4.
- GooglecorePartnership to create Be Internet Awesome special edition magazine based on Google's curriculum for digital safety. Google.org providing $20 million funding for digital wellbeing initiatives. Additional 250,000 copies distributed to Save the Children and Reading is Fundamental partners serving lower-income communities.
- Scripps National Spelling BeesecondaryFirst-time partnership for 2023-2024 school year to inspire kids to develop love of reading. Schools participating in the spelling bee program receive digital Highlights or High Five magazines alongside study lists and competition guides.
- Denver BroncossecondaryFirst NFL team partnership to create custom Broncos Magazine for Kids with nine Highlights-branded pages featuring football crafts, games, and activities. Part of larger literacy initiative with Scholastic Book Fair.
- TinkergartencoreAcquired in April 2023, Tinkergarten provides research-backed, play-based outdoor learning experiences to children 6 months to 8 years. Founded in 2012 by Meghan and Brian Fitzgerald, it has a technology-enabled network of teachers providing classes in all 50 states. The acquisition enhances Highlights' early childhood education offerings.
- Mott's, Ocean Spray, Popeye's, Braum'sminorFeatured corporate partnerships shown on company website as brand collaborators in marketing and promotional initiatives.
- Zaner-BlosercoreParent company subsidiary and provider of research-based instructional programs including Superkids, an evidence-based English language arts curriculum for grades K-2.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Highlights for Children competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TIME for Kids (TIME USA): TIME for Kids is a subscription magazine for school-aged children, directly comparable to Highlights' flagship magazine offering to families and schools.
- Cricket Media: Cricket Media publishes age-segmented children's magazines (Babybug, Cricket, Cobblestone, Ask) plus book clubs and learning apps, the most direct analog to Highlights' magazine + book club subscription model.
- Ranger Rick (National Wildlife Federation): Ranger Rick publishes subscription nature magazines (Ranger Rick, Ranger Rick Jr.) and books for children, directly comparable to Highlights' themed magazine + book club subscription portfolio.
- Scholastic Corporation: Scholastic operates the Scholastic Book Clubs, classroom magazines, and educational publishing business that overlap directly with Highlights' subscription book clubs, classroom partnerships, and educational content.
- The Week Junior: The Week Junior is a weekly children's news and activity subscription magazine competing with Highlights' brainPLAY and core magazine titles for the same 7-12 demographic.
- National Geographic Kids: National Geographic Kids publishes subscription magazines plus digital and book content for children, directly comparable to Highlights' age-segmented kids' subscription magazines and books.
Emerging players
- BabyFirst / Moonbug Entertainment: Moonbug Entertainment (CoComelon franchise) is already a Highlights partner and adjacent media owner producing IP that converges with Highlights' toddler print product strategy.
Broad incumbents
- Leapfrog (VTech): LeapFrog (owned by VTech) sells educational toys, games and apps for children 0-8, broadly overlapping with Highlights' educational products and age cohorts but focused on hardware/digital rather than print magazines.
- Disney Publishing Worldwide: Disney Publishing Worldwide (a unit of The Walt Disney Company) publishes children's magazines, books and digital content across Disney franchises, an overlapping but much broader incumbent in kids' media publishing.
Others
- PBS Kids: PBS Kids offers educational content and digital apps for children and competes for parent attention rather than print subscriptions; thematic peer via shared educational positioning but not a direct publishing competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Highlights for Children social profiles
Digital presenceHighlights for Children financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Highlights for Children leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Highlights for Children subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Highlights for Children funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Highlights for Children M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Highlights for Children
What does Highlights for Children do?
Highlights for Children publishes and sells age-stratified children's magazines (Hello, High Five, High Five Bilingüe, Highlights, brainPLAY, CoComelon mini), subscription activity boxes and book clubs, and consumer books under Highlights Press. Its portfolio also includes the Tinkergarten outdoor play-based learning program and Zaner-Bloser K-2 ELA curriculum, delivered through direct-to-consumer subscriptions, retail, and digital platforms.
Is Highlights for Children a public or private company?
Highlights for Children is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Highlights for Children founded?
Highlights for Children was founded in 1946. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Highlights for Children based?
Highlights for Children is headquartered in Columbus, United States, in the North America region.
How does Highlights for Children make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are subscription Boxes, book Publishing and Retail Sales and licensing and Brand Partnerships.
Who are Highlights for Children's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TIME for Kids (TIME USA), Cricket Media, Ranger Rick (National Wildlife Federation), Scholastic Corporation, The Week Junior and National Geographic Kids. BabyFirst / Moonbug Entertainment is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Leapfrog (VTech) and Disney Publishing Worldwide. PBS Kids is listed as an others.
Does Highlights for Children have an API?
No public API is recorded for Highlights for Children.
What industry is Highlights for Children in?
Highlights for Children's product category is Children's Educational Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAFAO, Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing, with a secondary code of EDAGAIAE, Children’s Activity & Practice Books (Workbooks, Puzzles, Handwriting). Its NAICS code is 45921 and its SIC code is 2721.