Young Minds Inspired got its start with a schoolteacher who discovered that students became more engaged when pop culture and real-world examples were woven into their lessons. In 1978, our team turned that “teachable moment” into the first company devoted to providing educators with free, professionally prepared, corporate-sponsored classroom materials. Within a year, we had produced the first studio-sponsored film study guide, for Kramer vs. Kramer, and proven the benefits of reaching young people in school.
Since then, the YMI team has created more than 2,000 in-school programs for the entertainment, toy, health and beauty, retail, fashion, fast food, and others industries. Our programs are used at every school in the United States and beyond, and encompass a variety of media including print, video, digital whiteboard technology, and the Web.
YMI programs are created by a full team of trained and experienced writers, researchers, editors, translators, designers, illustrators, and digital developers. And every program is reviewed and approved by our Educator Advisory Board to ensure that it will be welcome in the classroom. Our guarantee to clients is to conduct business in the most user-friendly and professional manner. Our focus will always be on producing results that make a positive impression and have a positive impact on your business.
Contact Us
Young Minds Inspired
90 Crown Street
New Haven, CT 06510
Donald Lay, Managing Partner
(203) 325-4390
donald.lay@ymiclassroom.com
YMI Management
YMI is owned and directed by the most experienced management team in educational marketing.
Dr. Dominic Kinsley, managing partner and Editor in Chief, has specialized in educational outreach for more than 25 years. Before joining YMI, Dr. Kinsley supervised curriculum development at Lifetime Learning Systems, Weekly Reader, and LearningWorks, where he created award-winning programs for Ford Motor Company, Dole Foods, the National PTA, PLATO Learning, and for Academy Award-winning films such as Schindler’s List, Shakespeare in Love, and The Pianist. He was co-recipient of an American History and Civics Initiative grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the website he created for the Ken Burns PBS documentary The West was among the Top 100 Humanities Sites selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Kinsley has appeared as a spokesperson and panelist on national television and at symposia and educator conferences across the country. At the start of his career, he was a member of the English Department faculty and lecturer on Shakespeare at Yale University, where he graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and received his Ph.D. degree.
Donald J. Lay, managing partner and Director of Sales, is responsible for establishing the corporate partnerships that make YMI programs possible. Mr. Lay has more than 25 years of experience in educational outreach, having served as President of Lifetime Learning Systems, Executive Vice President at Weekly Reader, and Managing Partner at LearningWorks. In that time, he has helped make educational outreach a key element in achieving corporate objectives such as new product introduction, brand building, sales promotion, and driving store traffic for companies like Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Walmart, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Pictures, General Electric, and Lockheed Martin. At the start of his career, Donald built a strong track record in marketing and advertising as the publisher of trade journals for the packaged goods, toy, and consumer electronics industries.