In 2004, Alan and Lisa started new jobs as public school teachers in New Jersey. Like many teachers, they were excited to share the joys of education with their classrooms. Unfortunately, like many teachers, they quickly discovered that finding quality resources to help students succeed was a challenge, and that the school's budget was stretched too thin to purchase new learning software to supplement their lesson plans.
The free online options weren't a good choice, either. In Alan's words, they were “a never-ending labyrinth of sites for kids loaded with violence, difficult navigation, and inappropriate ads!” However, Alan remained undaunted. His self-taught knowledge of programming and previous experience as a graphic designer prepared him to take matters into his own hands.