Yesterday, TIME magazine announced the launch of its TIME for Kids digital subscription that will provide age-appropriate news, events and context to school-age kids. The goal of the weekly digital subscription product is to enhance learning, help kids understand the news in a way they can relate to, and to connect them to the world from home. This is similar to the content that TIME has provided to millions of elementary school kids for the last 25 years.

“The mission of TIME for Kids is to create a safe and engaging experience for kids to explore the world on their own,” said TIME for Kids editor in chief Andrea Delbanco in an October 19 news release. “With the continued uncertainty around kids going back to school amid the coronavirus pandemic, TIME for Kids has built its first-ever home product to be flexible for the needs of all families and to provide a fun resource and tool they can turn to help support remote learning.”

Available for at an introductory price of $19.99 per year, the TIME for Kids digital subscription will give kids digital access to new editions of TIME for kids, along with access to previous issues published this year. The standard price is $29.99. A digital subscription also includes a special newsletter that serves as a guide to TIME for Kids, including a curriculum, conversation guide, resources and activities.

Four editions based on grade levels

TIME for Kids is available in four editions, based on grades kindergarten through grade 6. Frequency of publication depends on the grade level.

To get an idea of content, the September 18 edition for grades 5 and 6 includes a cover story on making buildings bird-friendly and articles on wildfires, staying connected, the voting age, and a Q&A with Daniel Nayeri, the author of Everything Sad is Untrue.

“Bring the world to your home,” says TIME on its subscription page.

According to TIME, key benefits of the new digital subscription include:

• A trusted, credible learning tool that kids will enjoy
• Age-appropriate current events as they occur
• Teaching news literacy and creating more informed citizens

TIME said the TIME for Kids subscription hopes to help families, children and teachers cope with the uncertainty around returning to school in a pandemic and to provide resources to help make the news relatable to kids. In March, TIME made its TIME for Kids edition available digitally for free in several languages including Spanish and Chinese. Since then, it has been accessed by more than 350,000 people in the United States and in more than 140 countries.

Insider Take

While it is not readily apparent how this home version of TIME for Kids is different than the editions provided for free in schools this spring, the new offering has a lot of appeal. From the standpoint of parents and teachers, the subscription is affordable, and it supplements current learning materials they are using which are welcome.

From the standpoint of a subscription company, TIME has created another subscription tool that will provide recurring revenue. They’ve taken an unfortunate situation and shifted their thinking to solve a problem. Also, by giving kids access to their news products at an early age, the company is creating lifelong news consumers who will remember TIME when they are older and have disposable income of their own.