Community Spotlight: Pooka Box

Amy Molk is the Founder and CEO of Pooka Box, “a company committed to revolutionizing and simplifying the way parents and caregivers approach developmental learning.” By subscribing to Pooka Box, customers receive packages of highly curated toys, books, activities and research-based curriculum every three months tailored specifically to their child’s age and developmental stage. Pooka Box is designed to support the brain development of your child, in the first five years of life.

Building the Company

Amy’s inspiration for Pooka Box sparked from her real life experiences as a new mom. “As a first time mom, I wanted a place where I could find information on early childhood development, the best products to promote it, and information on how to engage with my child to encourage it, but it didn’t exist. 90% of brain development occurs in the first 5 years and I realized that there was a need for this type of holistic approach. So I created it.”

“We asked ourselves, ‘How do we prepare the absolute best learners, so when they walk into kindergarten they are prepared?’”

Amy did an abundance of research before partnering with childhood development expert Abby Klein. Abby, who has received degrees from Harvard and Dartmouth in early childhood education, chooses the products and designs the curriculum for each Pooka Box. Abby has been a kindergarten teacher for over 30 years and understands exactly what a child needs to be successful when they start kindergarten.

Room to grow

Amy and her team recently began testing a new service, caregiver-tot classes. The goal of these classes is to provide a rich virtual classroom experience where caregivers and children can play, bond and grow through creative activities designed for 18 months to 5 years. “Our goal is to give parents and caregivers the flexibility to participate in specialty classes from the convenience of their home on the time schedule that works for them. Early education should be accessible to everyone, and we believe this is the solution.”

Giving Back

“I believe so strongly that every child deserves the best start in life. Circumstance should never prohibit that from happening, but unfortunately it does. I have always been passionate about supporting the foster system and so it made sense to focus on that demographic. For every subscription purchased we donate a toy and curriculum to a foster child.”

“I have always believed there is a solution to every problem, sometimes it just takes a lot of work to get there. Being an entrepreneur has given me the opportunity to tackle what I believe is one of the most important problems, leveling the education playing field, so everyone has the opportunity at the best start in life.

One piece of advice

“You are much more capable than you might think. Never let fear stop you. Take those fears and insecurities and use them as motivation to try harder and prove your own doubts wrong and you will become a much stronger and happier person.”