Original cgi version (ca. 1998)
KidsTown was conceived, designed and developed by students at the University of Colorado at Denver through participation in the Senior Design Project course offered by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. The course represents the capstone experience of the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering degree program and involves integrating and applying academic learning through the design and creation of practical products.
KidsTown is a result of the Children's Literacy Project, a joint effort by the Tattered Cover Book Store and the University of Colorado at Denver to provide CU-Denver students with real-world experience in developing a working relationship with a business while designing and create computer-based tools for promoting literacy skills among children. Through this collaboration, the participants address their individual goals in a manner that acknowledges a common responsibility for addressing the needs of other community members.
The Children's Literacy Project was a collaborative partnership of the University of Colorado at Denver (UCD) and the Tattered Cover Book Store.
The project, initiated in January 1996, involved UCD students and faculty and Tattered Cover representatives in the ongoing development and dissemination of computer-based tools to promote children's literacy.
UCD students benefited by gaining real-world experience in developing working relationships with a business and by enjoying the opportunity to integrate and apply their academic learning while designing and creating community-oriented products. As of Spring 1998, over 100 students had been involved in the project, along with advisors from UCD and the Tattered Cover.
The initial product of this partnership is KidsTown, a World Wide Web site that provides a resource for children, families, and teachers and promotes literacy through interactive activities that are simultaneously informative, educational, and entertaining.
Through the Children's Literacy Project, UCD and the Tattered Cover demonstrated their commitment to supporting the educational needs of local elementary and university students, and those of children web-wide.