EDUCATION | Primrose Schools® Robotics Challenge Winners Give Back to Local Communities

Primrose Schools CEO Jo Kirchner visits with students at Primrose School of Fleming Island while they enhance their design thinking skills during the annual robotics challenge.

PRIMROSE SCHOOL OF NAPERVILLE CROSSINGS WINS SECOND PLACE IN NATIONAL ROBOTICS CHALLENGE

NAPERVILLE–Children at Primrose schools across the country recently enhanced their robotics and problem-solving skills through coding, design thinking and engineering during the second annual "Ready, Set, Robotics!" challenge. As part of the two-week summer curriculum, adventurers worked in teams to complete four rescue missions that grew increasingly more complex. A video of each team's final rescue mission was submitted to this year's junior robotics competition and the three winning teams' schools received funds to donate to local charities of their choice. The winning team at Primrose School of West Allen in Allen, Texas donated $2,500 to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Coming in second place, a team from Primrose School of Naperville Crossings in Naperville, IL donated $1,500 to The Illinois chapter of Special Spaces. With a third-place win, Primrose School of Fleming Island in Fleming Island, Florida donated $1,000 to Safe Animal Shelter. Entries for the robotics competition were judged against a pre-defined rubric that emphasizes collaboration, creativity, character development and robotics skills.

"Young children learning STEM concepts while making a positive difference in their communities is a direct representation of our comprehensive Balanced Learning® curriculum in action," said Jo Kirchner, CEO of Primrose Schools.

During this year's robotics program, students engaged with an interactive robot named Dash, who returned to Summer Adventure Club for a new adventure. He went back into the past with Primrose Friends puppets to save the dinosaurs from extinction. Children engaged in fossil digging, dinosaur research and created special outfits to protect the dinosaurs from the heat of a meteor.

"As children engage in fun lessons related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, they are building the foundation for future learning skills and life," said Dr. Amy Jackson, chief early learning strategy officer at Primrose Schools. "The robotics curriculum encourages children to foster curiosity, collaboration, creativity and learn the value of teamwork."

The Ready, Set, Robotics! program was a part of Summer Adventure Club at Primrose Schools, which provides a fun, full-day experience for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. During Summer Adventure Club, students learn to code and try a variety of other hands-on activities including sports and arts.

About Primrose Schools®

Primrose Schools is the leader in providing premier early education and care to children and families in the United States. Founded in 1982, there are nearly 500 Primrose schools in 33 states today. Each school is independently owned and operated by Franchise Owners who partner with parents to help children build the right foundation for future learning and life. Primrose believes who children become is as important as what they know. The Primrose-exclusive Balanced Learning® approach is created from the best early education wisdom and balances purposeful play with nurturing guidance from teachers to encourage curiosity, creativity, confidence, and compassion. For more information, visit www.PrimroseSchools.com, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, explore our blog, sign up for our emails and find a Primrose school near you.