Unfortunately, the Kid Power Band program has been sunset and is no longer available.
The good news in all of this is you don't actually need Kid Power Bands to make real-world impact. If you haven't yet, log into Kid Power Ups now using the same credentials you use for the mobile app.
If you loved the Kid Power Band Program as much as we did, you're probably upset, and we hear you. We're sorry that the Bands are gone too. Change is tough and we understand that you're disappointed.
When we launched Kid Power Bands in 2015, our hope was that this would be the best way to share our vision with as many children and schools as possible. Equity and access are core values at UNICEF. Over the past several years it has become clear that a different model was needed to achieve our goal of offering Kid Power to every child and classroom in America.
Enter Kid Power Ups--which are FREE to every child and classroom in America.
Why end the Kid Power Band program?
- Our goal has always been to facilitate opportunities for children to become Global Citizens and experience the joy and sense of empowerment that comes when we choose to help others.
- Again, when we launched Kid Power Bands in 2015, our hope was that this would be the best way to share our vision with as many children and schools as possible. Equity and access are very important to us. Over the past several years it has become clear that a different model was needed to achieve our goal of offering Kid Power to every child and classroom in America.
- Out of that vision and experience, we launched a new program in 2018, Kid Power Ups. The model is different than the Banded Program. The Kid Power Band Program was philanthropically subsidized in various ways, but, as you know, was not always free. The Kid Power Ups program is completely free to every child and classroom in America.
All of this led to the tough decision we made in the fall of 2020 not to provide the Kid Power Band Program for classes this year, and to discontinue the retail portion of the program as well, and instead focus our finite time and resources on Kid Power Ups, which, as we mentioned earlier, provides a viable path to achieve our vision of offering empowerment to every child.
Why are you still selling Kid Power Bands?
In short, we're not. As with any sunset it’s been a process; we stopped marketing Kid Power Bands at the end of January 2020. Then we took our online store (unicefkidpower.org/store), and Amazon listings, both of which were primarily being used to facilitate customer service by supplying replacement parts, down over the summer.
We do recognize that there are still new and used Kid Power Bands available for sale on Amazon (and elsewhere) from 3rd party sellers. It can be difficult to tell that this item is offered by a 3rd party and not by Kid Power, and we have done what we can, including sending cease and desist letters when we can, to minimize 3rd party selling, but unfortunately this story is all too common on that platform.
Can I still use my Kid Power Band without the Kid Power App?
In short, unfortunately, no. The Kid Power Bands were designed from its inception to be a connected experience and relied on the Kid Power App to work properly. Our team did do a feasibility assessment for providing a version of the app that would allow for using the Kid Power Band just as a watch and daily step counter without those steps creating impact but this proved to be impossible to provide within the given constraints; so unfortunately, it is best to recycle your Kid Power Bands.
Wrap up
We hope that the clarification about why we had to sunset the Kid Power Band program helps with the transition, and that you'll choose to include Kid Power Ups in your routines. We're excited that in addition to providing the opportunity for empowerment and Global Citizenship for free to every child and classroom in America, Kid Power Ups also help teachers facilitate Social Emotional Learning, and are sometimes just a great brain break.
Again, the good news in all of this is you don't actually need Kid Power Bands to make real-world impact. If you haven't yet, log into Kid Power Ups now using the same credentials you use for the mobile app.
With Kid Power Ups, each time you complete 10 Kid Power Up "brain break" videos, you unlock one packet of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for severely malnourished children around the world.
Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any further questions, or there is anything else we can do to help.
Comments
7 comments
Thank you so much for the update! Although the girls are unhappy that they are no longer able to use their bands but I am so happy to hear that all children all over the world can help bring a little joy to another. We are so glad to be a part of this great program.
Sincerely,
SW
Oh by the way will hurry and get started on the Kid Power Up program! Thank you! :)
So, my child can no longer sync his Power band at all? It's very disappointing to purchase an item and not even be able to update the time on it. The app is shut down and there is no support at all.
The way the app and program stopped is disappointing! There should be a way to allow users to at least change the date and time on the device so it can continue to be used. Wasteful and not in line with the program’s ideals!!
The way the app and program stopped is disappointing! There should be a way to allow users to at least change the date and time on the device so it can continue to be used. Wasteful and not in line with the program’s ideals!!
I want to know if there is any way that we can program our bands, because they show the wrong date and time. It would be good for the environment if we can still use it as a watch instead of trash it immediately. Please help us with that.
Hi Isabel Cadavid,
Thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately, Kid Power Bands have reached their end of life, and should be recycled.
Because of the architecture of the Kid Power Band and app we were not able to maintain a version where the Kid Power Band only updates its time, etc.
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