The Creative Curriculum^® LearningGames^® Wins 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC, June 10, 2008--Teaching Strategies is proud to announce that The Creative Curriculum LearningGames received a 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Educational Publishing from the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP). AEP praised The Creative Curriculum LearningGames for its creativity, originality, educational value, exceptional content, and ease of use. The Creative Curriculum LearningGames provides high-quality, research-validated early childhood activities designed to strengthen adult-child interactions and enhance the development and learning of children from birth to age 5. These early learning activities were first used in the highly acclaimed Abecedarian Project, one of the most successful early childhood programs ever implemented in the United States.

"It is an honor to receive this recognition, not only for Teaching Strategies, but on behalf of the entire early childhood education community," said Dr. Joseph Sparling, Senior Advisor on Curriculum and Research at Teaching Strategies and lead author of LearningGames. "There is an increasing awareness of the critical importance of the early years, and to be recognized in this way by The Association of Educational Publishers sends a very positive and important message to the field of education."

The Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) is a national, non-profit, professional organization committed to supporting the publication of high-quality educational materials. The AEP presents awards for outstanding products in the educational publishing industry. Entries are subjected to a rigorous two-tiered judgment process and are reviewed by a panel of highly qualified experts.  The Distinguished Achievement Award was given to The Creative Curriculum LearningGames because of its creativity, originality, educational value, exceptional content, and ease of use. 

"These materials were created to bolster the home-school connection and to empower and support parents in their role as their child's first teacher.  We commend AEP for recognizing that education extends beyond the K-12 classroom," said Kimberly Sparling Meunier, President of MindNurture, the developer of LearningGames. MindNurture's products focus on improving children's learning environments and experiences during the crucial developmental period from birth to age 5. In 2007, MindNurture was acquired by Teaching Strategies, a company known for its curriculum materials, including The Creative Curriculum^® for Preschool and The Creative Curriculum^® for Infants, Toddlers & Twos. The collaboration has promoted a coordinated set of research-based practices for the home and the classroom, which are the two most important learning environments for young children.

Teaching Strategies is a woman-owned company committed to making a difference in the lives of young children by providing scientifically based educational materials to preschool and infant-toddler programs worldwide. The company's mission is to enhance the quality of early childhood programs by offering practical, innovative, and developmentally appropriate curriculum materials; professional development services and materials; and parenting resources. Teaching Strategies' materials are used in thousands of Head Start, public pre-K, and other early childhood programs throughout the country, including programs run by all branches of the military and Department of Defense schools worldwide.