Partnerships between members of the business and educational communities in South Florida are not strictly limited to the university level. Many companies and organizations actively seek to enhance the learning experience for younger students as well. In this third installment of SFBW’s “Education Collaboration” series, a few of these programs are examined as well.

When Facetime and Kindle Unite

Picture this common scenario: You’re on a business trip, thousands of miles from your home and kids. You notice it’s their bedtime. You would love nothing more than to read them a bedtime story.

Thanks to Caribu, a Miami educational-tech start-up company, you can do just that. Described as “Facetime meets Kindle,” the program enables parents, family, and mentors to read and draw with children remotely. “It works on a shared screen,” says Caribu CEO and co-founder Maxeme Tuchman. “You can even play live tic-tac-toe.”

Tuchman credits the U.S. military for inspiring Caribu to create the app, which is available on Google Play and in the Apple Store

Caribu is free to download, Tuchman says. After seven days, it’s $6.99 monthly for unlimited access. (Active U.S. service personnel receive Caribu for free.)

The shared screen allows parents and their kids to draw, as well as read the same book together on the shared screen. Both parties require an account.

“There’s a pointer where you can point to where you’re reading,” says Tuchman. “Most kids want to read the same book over and over.”

The app is now available in six languages, with a seventh on the way. So far, Tuchman says, the company has downloaded many classics into the system, including The Wizard of Oz and Sesame Street titles. “We also have a lot of smaller authors and publishers,” she says