Kidzsmart Communications

What Kidzsmart Communications does

Kidzsmart Communications is a purpose-driven creative agency founded in 2000 and headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, that specializes in play-driven edutainment content for children and families. The agency designs activity booklets, digital newsletters, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) educational programs, and community outreach initiatives for enterprise and government clients across North America, serving verticals including family restaurants, professional sports organizations, government bodies, airlines, and utilities. Long-running engagements include the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! literacy program (reaching 14M+ students annually across 38,000 U.S. elementary classrooms since 2009), the Boston Pizza sports-themed family engagement program (which drove a 28% year-over-year increase in kids' menu sales), STEAM-based programs for the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, and the BC Lions Read, Write & ROAR! literacy initiative reaching 20,000+ students across 16 British Columbia school districts.

The company's core technical capability is research-backed engagement strategy and content creation that combines print, digital, and experiential formats with age-appropriate learning design. Kidzsmart has developed specialized competencies in multi-language content production (delivering programs in up to seven languages including English, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, Cantonese, Spanish, and Tagalog for Canada Soccer), inclusive design through decolonial and diversity-informed lenses, and dedicated Indigenous content packages co-created with Indigenous partners. The agency operates with a small, stable senior team of approximately 11-50 staff, with key creative leadership including Creative Director Daniel Asel and Art Director Stacey Hamilton, each with 14-year tenures at the firm, complemented by Director of Strategic Accounts Jasmine Kafka and Director of Business Development Pierre Gilbert.

Kidzsmart operates a dual revenue model: project-based professional services for enterprise and government clients — typically multi-month custom engagements covering creative strategy, content development, and implementation — and a standardized product offering called Kidzsmart Shop that sells pre-designed customizable activity materials to small and medium-sized restaurants. The company is a member of the We Are Family international network of kids/family agencies, which provides referral access and brand credibility, and holds partnerships with STEM Edge Inc. (curriculum) and Nintendo (IP licensing). Kidzsmart is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding or ownership transitions, operating from its Vancouver headquarters in a founder-controlled structure.

Name

Kidzsmart Communications

Legal name

Kidzsmart Communications Inc.

Website

https://kidzsmart.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kidzsmart Communications is a Vancouver-based creative agency founded in 2000 that designs play-driven edutainment content, activity booklets, and STEAM programs for enterprise and government clients engaging children and families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Kids & Family Marketing Agency

NAICS

Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Engagement & Take-Home Learning Materials (Home Packs, Parent Guides) (EDACAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Play-Based SEL & Executive Function Skill-Building Programs (EDACAOAB), Parent–Child Play & Interaction Programs (EDACALAF)

Keywords

• Kids marketing agency
• Edutainment content creation
• Family engagement programs
• Activity booklets
• STEAM education content

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Project-based creative services including campaign design, digital content creation, print materials, and strategic brand engagement programs for enterprise clients. Work is custom and client-specific, typically multi-month engagements.
2. Kidzsmart Shop (SMB Product): Pre-designed activity sheets and materials sold to small and medium-sized restaurants that cannot afford fully customized solutions. Offers custom branding on existing templates.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kidzsmart Communications is a purpose-driven creative agency that designs play-driven learning experiences and edutainment content—activity booklets, digital content, and community outreach programs—to help brands engage children and families. Work spans custom enterprise campaigns and standardized activity materials for restaurants.

Product overview

Kidzsmart Communications operates as a purpose-driven creative agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of play-driven learning experiences and edutainment solutions. Their core offering consists of custom-designed educational content programs including activity booklets, digital newsletters, interactive experiences, and community outreach initiatives. The product portfolio includes branded programs such as Kidzsmart Shop (customizable restaurant activity sheets), literacy programs (Pizza Hut BOOK IT!, BC Lions Read Write & ROAR!), STEAM education tools (Boston Red Sox Wally's Playbook), sports-themed engagement programs (Toronto Blue Jays Ace's Playbook, Canada Soccer Playbooks), health and safety education (Government of Canada programs), and wellness outreach (BC Hydro Power Smart for Schools). These products work together as a unified suite of family engagement solutions that help brands build lasting connections with children and parents through educational, entertaining content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kidzsmart Shop: A branded product offering for small to medium-sized restaurants to provide kid-friendly activity sheets and entertainment materials.

Products and services

• Kidzsmart Communications Core Services Purpose-driven creative agency services specializing in play-driven learning experiences and edutainment content for children and families, including educational programs, activity booklets, digital content, and community outreach initiatives for enterprise brands.
• Kidzsmart Shop Customizable pre-designed activity sheets and edutainment materials sold to small and medium-sized restaurants, allowing them to offer branded kids' entertainment on a budget with custom branding, easy ordering, and variety packs.
• Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Literacy Program A literacy program for Pizza Hut featuring teacher and student resources, restaurant activity sheets, interactive digital tools, and collectible merchandise to encourage daily reading among US elementary students, reaching 14 million+ students annually across 38,000 classrooms.
• Wally's Playbook (Boston Red Sox) An interactive STEAM activity book connecting science, technology, engineering, arts, and math with baseball to educate and engage young Red Sox fans through hands-on learning.
• Kid Nation E-Newsletter (Boston Red Sox) A year-round digital newsletter delivering Red Sox news, contests, trivia, and STEAM content to keep young fans engaged through regular email communication.
• Ace's Playbook (Toronto Blue Jays) A baseball-themed activity playbook featuring challenges, fun facts, puzzles, and hands-on activities distributed during Jr. Jays Saturdays to strengthen family connections with the Toronto Blue Jays brand.
• Read, Write & ROAR! Literacy Program (BC Lions) An interactive literacy program featuring mascot-led storytelling, football-themed reading challenges, and classroom activities to inspire early reading development, reaching 20,000+ students across 16 BC school districts.
• Canada Soccer Playbooks Age-appropriate activity booklets (K-2, 3-5, 6-8/9) available in seven languages and featuring Indigenous content packages, designed to educate students and promote soccer participation across Canada.
• Power Smart for Schools Program (BC Hydro) Culturally relevant STEAM-based learning programs for classrooms and families celebrating diverse traditions and integrating Indigenous knowledge to teach energy conservation and sustainability.
• Government of Canada Community Outreach Program Safety and wellness education booklets featuring Radar the Safety Dog mascot for elementary school children, in partnership with Health Canada and the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch.
• Boston Pizza Sports Outreach Program A multi-layered sports-themed family engagement program featuring hockey, basketball, and baseball activities, partnered with Vancouver Canucks, that drove a 28% year-over-year increase in kids' menu sales.
• Boston Pizza X Nintendo Program An immersive dining experience featuring Nintendo Switch gameplay, STEAM and ECE learning activity packs with Super Mario characters, and inclusive play design focused on neurodivergent accessibility.
• Waterloo Minor Soccer Club Playbook A branded take-home soccer playbook featuring skill-building and goal-setting activities aligned with Waterloo's values, distributed through summer camps to extend community engagement.
• Airline Kids Programs Edutainment booklets and in-flight gamification content designed for Alaska Airlines, Harbour Air, and Victoria Airport Authority to keep young travelers engaged and create enjoyable flying experiences for families.
• Health & Wellness Community Outreach Programs Health-themed edutainment content addressing wellness, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle choices for healthcare organizations, hospitals, and government health agencies.
• Community Outreach & Edutainment for Utilities (Telus & Fortis BC) Activity booklets and educational content for utility companies distributed in schools and community programs to communicate responsible energy behaviors and encourage environmental stewardship among children.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28% year-over-year increase in kids' menu sales for Boston Pizza
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• NintendocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Licensing partnership for Boston Pizza x Nintendo program featuring Super Mario characters. Kidzsmart developed game-inspired play experiences and STEAM/ECE learning materials for restaurant setting.
• We Are FamilycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld's leading agency network for kids and families, trusted by global brands including LEGO, Disney, and Mattel. Provides Kidzsmart with international alliance network, industry credibility, and cross-referral opportunities within the family engagement space.
• STEM Edge Inc.supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner bringing curriculum-aligned STEAM strategies into Kidzsmart programs, encouraging curiosity while kids learn through play.
• Vancouver CanuckssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSports brand partnership adding authenticity and excitement for young fans within Boston Pizza sports-themed program.
• Borussia Dortmund (BVB 09)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWaterloo United/Soccer Club announced partnership with German football giants Borussia Dortmund as part of BVB International Academy America family.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lunchbox: Lunchbox is a creative agency specialized in kids, family, and youth marketing. It competes head-to-head with Kidzsmart for branded family-engagement programs and shares the same vertical focus on edutainment content and family audiences.
• We Are Family: We Are Family is explicitly Kidzsmart's strategic network partner and is described as 'the world's leading agency for kids and families.' It serves the same enterprise clients (LEGO, Disney, Mattel) with overlapping kids/family creative services, making it the closest comparable peer by mission, customer profile, and offering.
• MMB (a division of McCann): MMB is a family/kids marketing agency (formerly Meredith, Mom, Baby) now part of the McCann network. It delivers family-engagement and kids-brand creative work comparable to Kidzsmart's portfolio but with the backing of a global holding company.
• Hotpickle: Hotpickle is a specialist family and youth insight-and-creative agency working with major brands on family marketing. It overlaps directly with Kidzsmart's family-engagement proposition and is a comparable specialist in the same niche.

Broad incumbents

• 9 Story Media Group: 9 Story is a Canadian animation and kids' content producer with global distribution. While its core output is animation rather than branded marketing programs, it serves the same kids/family content market and overlaps on family-engagement storytelling.
• Corus Entertainment: Corus Entertainment operates kids-focused TV networks (e.g., YTV, Treehouse) and is a major Canadian media buyer of family-targeted content. It is adjacent to Kidzsmart's vertical and competes indirectly for family-engagement marketing budgets.
• Spin Master: Spin Master is a large Canadian children's entertainment and toy company that invests heavily in family-facing brands and content. While broader than a pure creative agency, it operates in the same kids/family audience economy and occasionally produces branded family engagement content comparable to Kidzsmart's deliverables.
• WildBrain: WildBrain is a major Canadian kids' entertainment company managing well-known children's IP and licensing. It is not a direct creative agency but operates in the same kids/family content ecosystem and competes for similar client attention and budgets.

Emerging players

• Knowledgehook: Knowledgehook (partnered with Kidzsmart-adjacent EdTech distributor networks) builds math/STEAM learning tools used in classrooms — overlapping the educational-content side of Kidzsmart's work, particularly for partnerships with school districts such as the BC Lions literacy program.
• Beano Studios: Beano Studios is a kids' content and marketing studio leveraging the Beano brand to produce family-engagement campaigns. It overlaps with Kidzsmart's family-audience creative services but is more niche and content-led than agency-led.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Kidzsmart
• Facebookfacebook.com/KidzsmartCommunications
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kidzsmart

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kidzsmart Communications