Kids Listen

What Kids Listen does

Kids Listen is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates as a community and discovery platform for high-quality children's audio content. Founded in 2016 and operating with approximately 10 employees, it serves three constituencies: independent kids and family podcast creators, educators and librarians seeking curriculum-aligned audio, and parents/families looking for screen-free entertainment. The core platform is the Kids Listen Podcast Directory at kidslisten.org, a curated, searchable catalog of member podcasts organized by age range, theme, and genre. The directory is freely accessible to end users and functions as the primary discovery surface for vetted children's audio.

The business model combines subscription and donation revenue. Creator membership is tiered at $100 per year for a general membership covering up to three shows (with additional shows at $50 each), $25 per year for team members involved in producing covered shows, and $25 per year for non-creator advocates such as teachers and supporters. New members are admitted by application and review and join a Slack-based community for collaboration, research sharing, and cross-promotion. Supplemental funding comes from donations accepted through PayPal. There is no disclosed revenue figure.

The product portfolio extends beyond the directory. The Creator Membership Program provides community, collaboration, research, and promotional support. Kids Listen Bingo is an educational activity that ties classroom and family listening to member podcast episodes, with completion certificates emailed to [email protected]. Big Emotions: Kids Listen Mashups is a collaborative social-emotional learning series pairing 40+ member podcasts to produce original audio with educator discussion prompts. Distribution relies on organic social media (Instagram), a Medium publication, member cross-promotion, and the directory itself; the organization claims a global footprint spanning the USA, Australia, the UK, and India, with member shows reaching 200+ countries and territories. Governance is handled by a board of directors composed of co-presidents, a treasurer, directors, and general board members who are themselves active creators in the community.

Name

Kids Listen

Legal name

Kids Listen

Website

https://kidslisten.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kids Listen is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that runs a curated podcast directory and membership community for kids and family podcast creators, while helping educators and families discover vetted, screen-free children's audio through tiered membership fees and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Podcast Community

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Kids & Family Curated Content Platforms (MPACAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audio Learning Content (Podcasts, Audiobooks, Listening Programs) (EDAGALAM), Children’s Audio Publishing (Audiobooks & Podcasts) (MPAJAFAI)

Keywords

• Children's podcast directory
• Podcast creator community
• Kids audio content
• Educational podcast resources
• Family podcast curation

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Kids Listen generates revenue through annual membership fees at tiered levels - General Membership at $100/yr for individual creators covering up to 3 shows, Team Members at $25/yr for additional individuals per show, and Non-creator Advocates at $25/yr for teachers and supporters.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations through PayPal as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, providing supplemental funding beyond membership fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kids Listen is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates a curated podcast directory and membership community for kids and family podcast creators. It provides a searchable catalog of member podcasts organized by age range, theme, and genre, alongside a tiered membership program that gives creators access to a Slack-based community, collaborative projects, research resources, and cross-promotion support. The organization also produces educational content programs such as Kids Listen Bingo and the Big Emotions collaborative audio series to help families, educators, and librarians access high-quality screen-free audio content.

Product overview

Kids Listen is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that champions high-quality audio content for children through a platform-plus-community model. The core offering is the Kids Listen Podcast Directory, a searchable catalog of member podcasts organized by age range, theme, and genre. Additional products include the Creator Membership Program providing Slack-based community access, collaboration resources, and promotional support for podcast creators; Kids Listen Bingo educational activity cards for classroom and home use; and Big Emotions: Kids Listen Mashups, a collaborative SEL series pairing member shows. The organization serves three audiences: podcast producers (through membership and collaboration), educators and librarians (through audio programming resources), and children and families (through podcast discovery and entertainment).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kids Listen Podcast Directory A searchable catalog of high-quality kids and family podcasts organized by age range, theme, and genre, allowing parents, educators, and children to discover vetted screen-free audio content. Free to access for end users.
• Creator Membership Program A tiered annual membership program for kids podcast creators providing Slack-based community access, collaboration opportunities, research resources, cross-promotion, and promotional support. General Membership is $100/yr for individual creators covering up to 3 shows, with additional shows at $50 each; Team Members at $25/yr; Non-creator Advocates at $25/yr.
• Kids Listen Bingo An educational activity program featuring bingo cards that encourage children to listen to podcast episodes and complete related tasks, with certificates awarded upon completion for classroom or home use. Free download for educators and families.
• Big Emotions: Kids Listen Mashups A collaborative series pairing award-winning children's podcasts to help kids explore feelings through immersive sound, stories, and guided reflection, featuring original music and educator discussion prompts. Involves 40+ member podcasts.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Public Radio (NPR): Major nonprofit media organization producing podcasts spanning news, education, and kids content. Comparable because it shares nonprofit media DNA with Kids Listen and increasingly distributes kids and family programming to the same audience.
• Audible: Major audiobook and podcast platform with dedicated kids content. Comparable as a broad incumbent in premium kids audio with significantly greater resources for content discovery, marketing, and curation that could compete with Kids Listen's directory value proposition.
• PBS Kids: Major nonprofit children's educational media brand from PBS. Comparable because it delivers vetted, educational content to the same kids-families-educators audience, with growing podcast offerings that overlap with Kids Listen's curation focus.
• Common Sense Media: Major nonprofit that reviews and rates media for kids and families, including podcasts. Comparable because it serves the same parents-educators-children audience with curated, vetted content discovery, though it operates across movies, games, books, and apps in addition to audio.
• Apple Podcasts: The dominant podcast hosting and discovery platform with a dedicated Kids category. Comparable because it distributes and helps discover kids and family podcasts, serving as both an infrastructure provider and competitor for attention and curation authority.
• Spotify: Major audio streaming platform hosting a growing catalog of kids and family podcasts. Comparable as an incumbent that competes for kids audio listening time and could expand curated kids experiences to match Kids Listen's value proposition.

Direct peers

• Pinna: A dedicated kids audio streaming platform offering curated podcasts and audiobooks for children. Comparable because it competes for the same families seeking high-quality, safe kids audio content with age-segmented discovery, though Pinna operates as a paid subscription service.
• Tinkercast: Producer of leading kids and family podcasts including Wow in the World. Comparable because it produces high-quality kids audio content at scale and participates in similar educational and family entertainment ecosystems as Kids Listen member shows.
• American Public Media (Brains On!): Producer of Brains On! and Smash Boom Best, leading science and debate podcasts for kids. Comparable because it is a top-tier member-style creator in the Kids Listen ecosystem producing award-winning educational kids audio content.
• Gen-Z Media (GZM Shows): Independent kids and family podcast production company producing multiple shows (e.g., The Big Fib, Earth Rangers) listed in the Kids Listen directory. Comparable as a member-style entity creating high-quality kids audio content that relies on similar distribution channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kids-listen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Kids Listen