KING OF PRUSSIA, PA--(Marketwire - September 30, 2010) - Starting this Friday, October 1, innovative childcare company Goddard Systems, Inc. is taking a stand, nationally and locally, for the power of play in learning.
The company will be launching a synchronized "Simon Says" in its schools across the country to highlight and illustrate the impact of playful learning vs. a strictly academic focus. Many schools will also be hosting "Mini Block Parties."
"As early childhood educators, we know that play is crucial to a child's development," says Sue Adair, Director of Education and Quality Assurance for Goddard Systems, Inc. "We want all families to understand that play matters. The Simon Says event and the Mini Block Parties will showcase how play is essential to the next generation's academic, physical, social and emotional health. How children play today helps form the adults they become tomorrow."
"Goddard is recognized nationally for our learning-through-play philosophy and our play-based FLEX curriculum, which focuses on the value of guided play. For that reason, we feel it's important for us to take a leadership role in spreading the word through these events."
Open to the public, Simons Says and the Mini Block Parties will enable families to participate in a number of hands-on, fun-filled activities that demonstrate the power of play for helping children learn the skills they need for life. The unique, synchronized Simon Says event, which clearly illustrates the power of play in learning, will take place at 10:00 a.m. (local time), in schools across the country.
Some schools will also host a broad variety of playful learning activities, such as reading, obstacle courses, oversized games, "dress up" and art projects, during which educators will lead children in movements that teach important lessons.
To make the event even more enjoyable, Goddard has commissioned an original song, The Goddard School® Play Along Song, which the children will sing to culminate the Simon Says activities. Consumers may download the song for free, for their own children to sing and enjoy, at http://www.goddardschool.com/BlockParty/. Goddard is also offering a free downloadable "playful learning" guide for parents on the same Web page.
This Sunday, October 3, The Goddard School will also be the exclusive preschool sponsor of Play for Tomorrow's Ultimate Block Party: The Arts and Sciences of Play, a powerful new global movement designed to recognize and celebrate the power of play for learning. This first-of-its-kind event is taking place Sunday, October 3, in the Naumburg Bandshell area of New York City's Central Park and will feature an amazing day of play for families and children, designed to bring playful learning back to the forefront.
About Goddard Systems, Inc. www.goddardschool.com
Recently named #1 Childcare Franchise in the United States, by Entrepreneur magazine, for the ninth consecutive year (January 2010) and one of the Top 200 Franchise Systems (in worldwide sales), by Franchise Times, for the third consecutive year (October 2009); Goddard Systems, Inc. (GSI) is expanding The Goddard School® network throughout the United States. Headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, GSI currently licenses 360+ franchised schools with more than 43,000 students in 34 states. With a successful system in place and dedicated franchisees, GSI is the acknowledged leader in franchised childcare and a premier childcare provider in the United States.