Barbara Alger

About Me My name is Barbara Alger. I am 69 years old, a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, as well as a Catholic writer, illustrator, and creator of Catholic Kids World. For many years, I have used art, storytelling, and writing to share the Christian faith with children. My ministry began with writing and illustrating Christian children’s books, and over time that mission grew into creating videos, songs, and Bible stories for young children. My greatest desire is to help children know that God loves them, to introduce them to the stories of Scripture, and to help them grow closer to Jesus.

Catholic Kids World began in a very simple way. The CCD Coordinator at my parish asked if I could create videos for the children. I began making them as a way to help young children understand Bible stories and Catholic teachings in a form that was simple, memorable, and enjoyable. What began as a small parish project gradually grew into a much larger ministry. Today, I create original Bible stories, songs, illustrations, and animated videos especially for young children. I write the stories and lyrics, create the artwork, develop the music, animate the scenes, add captions, and edit each finished video myself. The heart of Catholic Kids World is very simple: I love Jesus, I love children, and I want to help the next generation know and love God. I have also been deeply encouraged that Shalom World Television has requested my videos to share with families around the world. They do not pay me for the videos; I simply allow them to share the content so it can reach more children and families. I also earn a small amount from the sale of my books and artwork, but that income is modest and does not come close to covering the ongoing costs of producing Catholic Kids World. I do not create Catholic Kids World to earn money. The videos are offered freely because I want families to be able to use them without cost. However, creating them requires paid tools for animation, music, editing, design, captions, and production. As a senior living on a limited income, those expenses can be difficult for me to carry alone. My hope is simply to continue creating these videos for as long as I am able and to keep sharing them freely with children and families wherever they may be.

Although Catholic Kids World has grown to more than 1,000 subscribers, monetization has become difficult. Many of my videos use music, animation, and a consistent child-friendly format, and YouTube’s current monetization policies also consider whether a channel appears repetitive or mass-produced. My videos are not mass produced. I write all of my own lyrics and they come from my heart. I read every scripture very carefully before I even begin creating a bible based video. I want to teach children not just entertain them! I want them to know and to love Jesus as much as I do! Catholic Kids World is Catholic in identity, but much of the content is created for all Christian children. Approximately three-quarters of the videos focus on Scripture, Christian moral lessons, praise and worship, faith, prayer, and helping children know and love Jesus in ways that families from many Christian traditions can enjoy. The channel includes Bible stories, stories of the saints, simple Catholic teachings, moral lessons, praise and worship songs, fun and humorous videos, sing-alongs, dance-alongs, and a Holy Rosary created especially for very young children. Some videos are meant to teach. Some are meant to help children pray. Some help them sing, move, laugh, and praise God. But they all share the same purpose: helping children come to know and love Jesus. Each project is created with that mission in mind, and I put great care into the writing, artwork, music, animation, captions, and editing. Because the videos are offered freely and the channel does not currently generate enough income to cover the cost of production, I continue to pay for most of the creative tools myself. Support through Sowfund would help me continue creating these videos and sharing them freely with children and families.