New App Teaches Young Heroes to Get Help and Save Lives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New App Teaches Young Heroes to Get Help and Save Lives

A new educational app created in Tauranga has just been launched across New Zealand and Australia,  the UK and USA. Aimed at children from the age of three, the app offers more than a fun and interactive game. It has the potential to save lives.

Created by Tauranga mum Victoria Hodge, the Emergency Call Coach app teaches young children how and when they might need to call emergency services and what sort of information they will need to know. It is designed to be used with parents to ensure children don’t think calling emergency services is a game. When Victoria’s daughter was just six months old and her son two and a half, she had to return to work. With childcare costs too high, her mother-in-law was asked to watch the children.

“My mother-in-law was not very well at the time. It was a little worrying to have her mind our children but she was our most reliable option” Victoria said.

Victoria looked online to see what resources were available to show her eldest child what to do in case something was to happen to her mother in law while watching the children. She was impressed with the online resources offered by NZ police but felt they were aimed at older children.

“My kids learn heaps of different skills from apps they play, so I was surprised something to teach a skill like this was not available online or any mobile platforms. At that moment I felt it was a great idea for me to create something for just that,” she said. 

Victoria took out the pens, felts, and scissors and a rough prototype was pitched to Tauranga based software development company Cucumber. Cucumber Marketing Manager Clare Swallow suggests “ we were really impressed with the passion Victoria had to make this a reality and could quickly see the benefit it could provide so we jumped at the chance to invest in this app to bring this idea to life.”

“My children love the Emergency Call Coach app with its missions and Policeman Pete. And getting to hear themselves on the playback keeps them playing again and again. It’s a product I am really proud of and I am convinced it will be of great use to parents and carers with children of all ages,” Victoria said. 

“It is a fun app that encourages one-on-one moments with your children, brings out the storyteller within, and sparks all sorts of important conversations. The app can also be used to teach kids the difference between a real emergency and other problems. If it can save a life, it is worth every second I’ve put into this project.” 

The Emergency Call Coach app is now available on the New Zealand app store for $2.59. It’s a fun and exciting way to practice calling emergency services, without them turning up at your doorstep.

ENDS

© Scoop Media