U.S. Military Promoting Education in Afghanistan

As our nation celebrates Memorial Day, we remember those that have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country.  We are also reminded of the men and women currently serving.  While they are protecting us and promoting freedom around the globe, they are also improving lives through education.

In Afghanistan, three decades of war has left the Afghan people with huge gaps in education.  According to the Afghan Literacy Foundation, eighty five percent of the population has less than an elementary school education.  Many schools have either been inadequate or nonexistent.

Our nation recognizes the value of education and our military is working hard to promote education for Afghan boys and girls.  Service members from the U.S. Marine Corps, Danish Army, British Army and the Afghan National Army are assisting local Afghans by building schools.  The schools are being built in many districts throughout Afghanistan in hopes that many children will receive an education, especially teaching boys as well as girls to read.  Since Afghan culture forbids the boys and girls to attend school together, the boys attend during the morning while the girls attend in afternoons.

Besides a shared passion to promote education and the well-being of children, CompuChild (a 2011 Military Friendly Franchise) takes a special interest in this mission in Afghanistan.  While CompuChild has always strived to support our country’s military, one of our director’s husband has taken it a step beyond our borders.  David Lucero of South Carolina is currently deployed in Afghanistan with the US Marine Corps.  He is the CMO Effects & Education Officer, 2^nd Marine Division.   Basically, David is working with the Civil Affairs unit of the Marine Corps which is providing support to the Afghan people in efforts to improve Afghan quality of living.  The coalition is working to improve township infrastructure, training in small business, agriculture and the education of Afghan children.  The coalition meets with the leaders of the townships, assesses their needs in these areas and supports the people with direction as well as funding.

We applaud the work of our military in their efforts to improve the lives of young children and promote literacy in Afghanistan.  Special thanks to David and Beryl Lucero for their efforts as well as their assistance with this post.  Keep up the great work.

Click on link to learn more about CompuChild’s Military Benefit Program.  Click on link to see the full list of 2011 Military Friendly Franchises.

2011 Excellence in Business Awards

The Newport  County Chamber of Commerce recently announced their Excellence in Business Award winners.  We are very excited to report that RI Computer Learning owned by Robin Gardner, the CompuChild franchisee for the state of Rhode Island, won the award for Entrepreneur of the Year.

Through her CompuChild franchise, Robin has been teaching computer skills to young children for the past six years.  Here are what some of her customers are saying about her and her technology education classes:

“This is a fantastic program- Tyler loves it! Thank you for your thought-fulness and for your instruction with him. This is a wonderful opportunity!” - T. Collins

“Thank you for making the course a wonderful experience for my children.”  – L. DiMase

“Miss Robin from CompuChild has been working with the children at Growing Children of Rhode Island since our opening in June 2009. She has been a wonderful addition to our program. Parents and teachers as well as children look forward to her lessons. She is well organized and has a wonderful manner and understanding of young children. Her popularity has increased enrollment and parents have added days so their children can experience her program. In addition, Miss Robin is very generous with her time and her knowledge.”  – Ann (Jackie) D’Iorio

CompuChild Celebrates the Week of the Young Child

The Week of the Young Child is a time to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families.   Community groups and businesses throughout the country are celebrating in different ways from hosting events for children and parents to honoring those that work with young children.  This week CompuChild reaffirms our commitment to young children and all those who make a difference in children’s lives.  CompuChild is recognizing Ms. Deena Weitzel from Newtown, Pennsylvania, as Instructor of the Year.

Weitzel teaches technology enrichment classes to students in the Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  She currently works in four area day care centers and preschools.  Those close to Deena can see how much she loves working with children and wants to make sure that they have fun and learn at the same time.  She has a lot of patience and knows how to get them to focus on the lesson at hand.  In addition to her skills in the classroom, she is also a wonderful employee.  This combination makes her CompuChild’s 2011 Instructor of the Year.

In recognition of her achievement, CompuChild USA will make a donation to Shriners Hospitals for Children, a non-profit organization selected by Weitzel.  Shriners Hospitals for Children provides the high quality care to children with neuromusculoskeletal conditions, burn injuries and other special healthcare needs.

The Week of the Young Child is about celebrating children and bringing awareness to children’s needs.  We are excited to recognize Weitzel’s commitment to children and glad she selected a children’s charity that has helped so many children in need.

Robotics Workshop Success in Muncie, Indiana

You could feel the excitement in the air as young children from Muncie attended a recent CompuChild robotics workshop at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts.  While the children “played” with LEGO bricks and programmed robots, they were actually learning about science, technology, engineering and math.

Sarah Anderson, Cornerstone’s education assistant, was impressed with creativity involved in the projects offered during the workshop.  She was also pleased with the community’s interest in CompuChild’s program.  Originally, there was only one workshop scheduled for the day, but adjustments were made after so many parents started enrolling their kids.  Due to the strong demand, two more sessions were added to the first weekend.

Ann Arwood, CompuChild franchisee for East Central Indiana, was pleased with success of the first workshop.  She will be holding another robotics workshop this Saturday at Cornerstone.  This workshop will focus on young children, ages 3 – kindergarten.  Visit Cornerstone’s website to enroll.

Kids will be having so much fun that they won’t even realize how much they are learning.

Technology for Tomorrow

We believe early childhood is the best time to start learning technology skills.  Not only will children with technology skills excel academically, but these skills will help them develop a love of learning that will lead them to fulfilling futures as engineers, scientists, teachers, artists, designers, musicians, IT professionals and so many more rewarding careers.  A new non-profit organization in Rhode Island shares our passion for early childhood technology education…Technology for Tomorrow.  

  

According to Project RED, Rhode Island is ranked 49th in the nation in providing technology access to students in public schools.  The need for improvement is overwhelming.  Robin Gardner, the founder of Technology for Tomorrow and CompuChild franchisee, recognized the challenges within her community and a created a non-profit to address the need for better technology education.  Her organization’s objective is to help make technology education available to early childhood students in RI preschools, kindergartens, and after-school programs.  According to Ms. Gardner, ”Technology for Tomorrow was created to help put the pieces together for the growing number of Rhode Island early childhood students and their families on the wrong side of the ever-widening Digital Divide.”  

  

CompuChild is proud to be the first corporate sponsor of this worthy cause.  If you are interested in learning more about Technology for Tomorrow or would like to make a donation, please visit their website www.techfortomorrow.org.

  

 

 

CompuChild #1 Franchise for Children’s Enrichment Program in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500®

What an exciting time at CompuChild!  Entrepreneur Magazine’s 32^nd Annual Franchise 500® known as the worlds first, best and most comprehensive list of franchises named CompuChild the #1 Franchise for Children’s Enrichment Programs.  CompuChild also ranked #54 Low Cost Franchise, #78 Top Home Based Franchise and overall ranked #253 for 2011. 

Not only are we excited to be named #1 in our category, but CompuChild is the only children’s technology education franchise on the list for 2011!  We completely wiped out the competition.  The high pressure tactics and glitzy marketing of other franchisors cannot compare to the low-key, simple approach at CompuChild. 

We respect all of our franchisees and prospective franchisees.  We understand that CompuChild is not the right fit for all candidates and we give an honest assessment to all of our prospective franchisees.  We are not driven to grow our franchise base exponentially.  We actually say “no” to some candidates.  At CompuChild, we are seeking individuals that will be successful.   Our approach has been working and others are recognizing our success.

The Franchise 500 ranking for 2011 reflects on the efforts of our entire organization.  With the change in senior management a couple of years ago, we have made great strides in increasing customer satisfaction, improving our financial strength and building our brand.  Additionally, we have made operational improvements to ensure our students are receiving the highest quality education.

All companies regardless of size are judged by the same criteria:  objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise operation.  The magazine bases its rankings on financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of the system.  The full list is available online at www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500.  The “Franchise 500” list is published in the magazine’s January 2011 issue.  To learn more about a CompuChild franchise, visit www.compuchild.com.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Young Children

While their are many lists of “top” toys or “best” gift ideas lurking throughout the internet, a recent blog post by the National Association for the Education of Young Children caught my attention.  Unlike other sources, they do not mention specific toys or gift ideas.  Instead their focus is safety and age-appropriateness.

Certainly, safety is paramount.  It seems that many toys have been recalled lately for safety issues.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission has a list of toys that have been recalled.  Make sure to check the list to ensure children in your care are playing with safe toys.  Visit the Toy Hazard Recalls page for the listing of recalled toys.

Beyond safety, you need to find age-appropriate items for your children.  Some suggestions by age include:

Young Infants: Things to listen to—books with nursery rhymes and poems, and recordings of lullabies and simple songs.

Older Infants: Things to play pretend with—baby dolls, puppets, plastic and wood vehicles with wheels, and water toys.

1-Year Olds: Recordings with songs, rhymes, simple stories, and pictures.

2-Year Olds: CD and DVD players with a variety of music (of course, phonograph players and cassette recorders work too!)

3-6 Year Olds: If a child has access to a computer: programs that are interactive (the child can do something) and that children can understand (the software uses graphics and  spoken instruction, not just print), children can control the software’s pace and path, and children have opportunities to explore a variety of concepts on several  levels.

To check out all of their recommendations, visit the NAEYC blog.

We especially like their recommendation for 3-6 year olds.  To ensure developmentally appropriate computer use, CompuChild classes make a great gift for your child, grandchild or other special child in your life.  Check out the CompuChild website to find out if classes are offered near you.

 

New Franchisee in Indiana

CompuChild is growing in Indiana.  We are very excited to welcome Ann and Wells Arwood to the CompuChild community.  Ann and Wells live in Muncie, Indiana,  located approximately 45 northeast of Indianapolis.  Muncie is also home to Ball State University.

Ann and Wells will be working in east central Indiana communities such as Muncie, Anderson, Marion and surrounding areas to bring affordable, age-appropriate computer instruction to local childcare centers and preschools.  CompuChild classes are offered on a regular basis to provide children with a structured progressive curriculum in technology education while utilizing educational software.  In fun and fast-paced classes, children learn about computers in an environment that emphasizes collaboration and cooperation.

CompuChild is currently adding new schools to the schedule.  For more information about this educational and fun enrichment program in east central Indiana, local child care centers, school directors and parents may call 765-749-4518 or email aarwood@compuchild.com.

If you are interested in learning more about opportunities for classes or franchising in another locale, please contact the corporate office at 1-800-619-KIDS or info@compuchild.com.

Franchise Growing in South Florida

We are very excited to expand the CompuChild presence in Florida to ten franchise units.  We would like to officially welcome Dena Iagrossi from Deerfield Beach, FL to the CompuChild community.  Dena lives in Deerfield Beach, Florida just north of Fort Lauderdale.

With Dena’s assistance, we can now offer affordable, age-appropriate computer instruction conducted in childcare centers and preschools to even more of Florida’s young children.  Dena will be serving northern Broward and southern Palm Beach Counties, including Florida communities such as Boyton Beach, Boca Raton, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach and Pompano Beach.

CompuChild classes are offered on a regular basis to provide children with a structured progressive curriculum in technology education while utilizing educational software.  In fun and fast-paced classes, children learn about computers in an environment that emphasizes collaboration and cooperation.

CompuChild is currently adding new schools to the schedule.  For more information about this educational and fun enrichment program in Broward or Palm Beach Counties in Florida, local child care centers, school directors and parents may call 954-263-0580 or email diagrossi@compuchild.com.

If you are interested in learning more about opportunities for classes or franchising in another locale, please contact the corporate office at 1-800-619-KIDS or info@compuchild.com.

State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010

The National Women’s Law Center issued a new report, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm.  Most states, according to the report, were able to avoid cuts to their child care assistance policies between 2009 and 2010 with the help of ARRA funds.  The report finds that most states did not have major changes in their child care assistance policies, including income eligibility limits, waiting lists, parent copayments, and reimbursement rates, despite cuts to other programs during the same time frame. However, now that states are beginning to exhaust these funds, some states are starting to make cuts or are considering cuts to their child care assistance programs.

To read the full report, visit www.nwlc.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/statechildcareassistancepoliciesreport2010.pdf