Made by a dad, for his own kids.

Dad's Academy began at a kitchen table, not in a boardroom. A father wanted two things the apps on the market wouldn't give him together: an honest picture of how his children were really doing at school, and a family computer that asked for some learning before it handed over the games.

How it started

The computer was winning. Homework was "done", the games were open, and when he asked how school was going, the answer was the one most parents know: "Fine."

He tried the usual tools. Parental controls could set a timer, but they couldn't tell him whether a single fraction had been practised. Learning apps could teach, but they let a child close the tab and open something else, and some of them spent as much effort selling to the child as teaching. Report cards came too late to change anything.

So he built the thing he wanted for his own family: short daily reviews that adapt to each child, a calm dashboard that shows a parent what's actually happening, and a way to make screen time something a child earns by learning.

Why the PC stays locked until screen time is earned

Most screen-time tools work by subtraction: a timer runs out and the screen goes dark. That leaves the argument where it was. Dad's Academy works the other way round. On a Windows PC with the companion app installed, the computer opens to learning first. A child answers their daily questions, earns minutes, and spends them. A parent can also grant time directly, whenever it makes sense.

The point isn't punishment. It's to change the question at home from "Can I have more time?" to "I've done my review, so I've earned it."

Why we built it this way: the library computer hour

What that looks like on an ordinary weekday

Maya, who is nine, sits down after school. The PC shows her review for the day: a few questions in maths and reading, pitched where she actually is. She finishes, earns her time, and the games open. Her dad sees on his phone that she got fractions right on the first try today, and that comparing decimals is still slow. Her younger brother Theo has his own review and his own level on the same family account. (Example family. Maya and Theo are fictional.)

What's free, and what's on the paid plan

You can start for free, with no card required, and cancel anytime. The free plan gives each child five questions a day in one subject. Earned screen time and the Windows companion are on the paid plan, along with all four subjects, unlimited daily practice and adaptive levelling. The PC companion that does the locking is Windows-only for now. On a Mac, Chromebook or tablet, the learning and the parent dashboard work in the browser, but there's no lock. Prices are shown in your local currency on the pricing page.

Why "Know how they are really doing" comes first

Enforcement gets a child to sit down. What a parent needs after that is clarity. The Parent Command Center shows accuracy by subject, the skills a child misses most, and how long they actually spent, with no streak confetti. If something needs attention, you can assign practice in a tap, or ask Pip, the built-in coach, what's going on.

We don't promise better grades. We can't measure that for you, and we'd rather not claim what we can't show. What we can promise is that you'll know more on Friday than you did on Monday.

Sold to you, never past your child

A children's app makes money in one of two ways: from the parent, or through the child. We chose the parent.

What we don't do

• No advertising shown to children, in the app or the kiosk.
• No upsell screens aimed at children. When a child reaches the free limit, they see a gentle "ask a grown-up", and nothing more.
• No selling or renting of children's data.

Who owns the account

The parent creates the account, adds each child, and controls every setting: subjects, limits and screen time. Children sign in to their own space, but they never manage billing or settings. How we handle children's information is set out in plain English in our privacy policy.

Not only for dads

The name is personal, not a rule. Dad's Academy is for any parent or carer who pays attention: mums, dads, grandparents, guardians, and families with one child or several. Siblings share one Command Center, and each additional child is 25% off on the paid plan.

Who's behind it

Dad's Academy is an independent product, operated by Blue Ocean Ventures Inc. It is not part of a publisher, a school board or an ad network.

If you have a question, a correction or an idea, write to hello@bov.ai. A person reads every message.