Changes in Garbanzo
Since our launch in 2018, Garbanzo has been by educators, for educators: a platform built with the needs of language teachers and students in mind, one that made language acquisition through reading engaging and accessible, but also upheld the highest standards for quality, security, and teacher support.
After seven years, it’s time for us to adjust our pricing, but our mission to keep Garbanzo as accessible as possible remains the same. Keep reading to learn more about our newest initiative: The Garbanzo Educator Assistance Discount.
Garbanzo at a glance
When Garbanzo launched in 2018, we were one of the few classroom-focused, acquisition driven online platforms available to schools. The teachers who tried Garbanzo quickly discovered how much flexibility it gave by providing students with ways to acquire language. The consensus was that Garbanzo was really nice to have!
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, educators needed options for remote learning – fast. What used to be a “Nice to have” tool suddenly became an essential.
We stepped up to the challenge by expanding our collection of texts with an accessible site (which requires consultation, development, and ongoing monitoring), investing in fast, reliable infrastructure to provide the smoothest experience possible, and providing teacher-requested content and features as well as top-tier customer support.
What We’ve Accomplished
Since day one, our mission has remained the same:
We believe that all students are capable of acquiring language, and accessible stories and reading are essential to help all students experience success communicating in new languages.
For the past seven years, our mission has guided our work. As districts and teachers embraced Garbanzo as classroom staple, our team accomplished incredible milestones:
- We’ve created over 2K texts in Spanish and English for multilingual classrooms
- Released a Spanish podcast and an English vodcast
- Launched Garbanzo English, with several Core paths
- Added to our growing list of accessibility features, like alt text and audio-version lessons
- Ensured student privacy and security at the highest level, including SOC 2 Type 2 compliance, legal reviews, and extensive work with states and individual districts with privacy documentation.
However, we never want to lose sight of a key part of Garbanzo – that education through stories and reading – should remain accessible. This includes everyone from students to teachers. It’s one of the main reasons we created the Educator Assistance Discount.
The Educator Assistance Discount
Why this initiative matters
The reality of a career in education today, particularly in the United States, is that too many teachers personally cover the cost of classroom supplies.
We didn’t believe that should be the norm when we started Garbanzo. We still don’t. Keeping Garbanzo accessible for individual teachers remains front of mind for us, even as we adjust our pricing.
The Educator Assistance Discount provides a win-win for both Garbanzo and teachers.
What is the Educator Assistance discount?
The Educator Assistance Discount provides a generous reduction towards normal Garbanzo subscription fees.
Standard Subscription: $249 / $174 ($75 off!)
Premium Subscription: $499 / $349 ($150 off!)
As a reminder, only the Premium subscription offers the following features:
- Printable versions of all texts
- WordCloud generator for all texts
- Audio versions of all text (the Standard subscription offers audio versions of text in Spanish Core 15 and English Core 10)
- Google Classroom integration
- And more!
Who qualifies for the discount
Any single teacher unable to receive district funding can request an Educator Assistance Discount. This will be applied to their subscription in perpetuity, as long as it remains necessary for them to pay out of pocket.
Additionally, we’re developing resources to help teachers secure grants and district funding, so Garbanzo remains accessible without being a personal expense.
Reminder about auto renew
If you’re currently on a subscription plan with auto-renew, you’re automatically grandfathered in with your current price. The Educator Assistance Discount is only available to qualifying applicants purchasing a new Garbanzo subscription with realigned pricing.
FAQs
Need some answers to quick questions? Find them below, or read our Open Letter and watch the message from our founders.
Who qualifies for the Educator Assistance Discount?
Any teacher who has an individual Garbanzo account that they pay out of pocket for.
How do I apply for the EAD?
Visit the pricing page and click the button to learn more about the EAD. The application will walk you through the requirements and give you what you need to get the discount.
If I’m already on an auto-renew subscription, can I apply for the EAD?
If you’re grandfathered in with an auto-renewed Standard plan but want to switch to a Premium plan AND you meet the qualifications for the Educator Assistance Discount, then you may apply.
If I’m grandfathered in with my Standard subscription, can I switch to Premium at the old price?
No. You’re grandfathered in with your auto-renew at your current plan. You get to keep that plan and pricing with no end date as long as your auto-renew remains active. If you change your plan, you will start the new plan at the new pricing.
Do the new features apply to all subscriptions?
The new features – word clouds, printables, and more – ONLY apply to the Premium subscription, which is why we suggest the Premium subscription over the Standard one.
I’m on a District plan that is ending. Will I be grandfathered in if I choose to pay for a subscription by myself?
Your new individual plan will be at our updated pricing; however, we HIGHLY suggest that you apply for our Educator Assistance Discount if you’re paying out of pocket.
Why is it important that Garbanzo has real teachers on the team?
AI isn’t in the classroom. Real, human teachers like YOU are in the classroom. We want our Garbanzo texts to support the needs, challenges, and opportunities in the classroom. Your subscription directly supports a team of 35 people, many of them teachers, who pour their expertise into Garbanzo to ensure our texts are the best they can be for language classrooms around the world.
