Colorado Springs Family Wins National Family Dance-off Contest

ATLANTA, April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Primrose Schools, the leader in educational child care, announces the Lopez family of Colorado Springs as the winner of the Family Dance-off, a national campaign to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices. In honor of the Lopez family's victory, Primrose will make a $30,000 donation to their local Children's Miracle Network hospital, The Children's Hospital in Denver.

"We are thrilled to announce the Lopez family as the winners of the Family Dance-off," said Jo Kirchner, President and CEO of Primrose Schools. "Their success in making exercise a fun part of the family's healthy routine is a tremendous example to families across the country. We are honored to make a donation to The Children's Hospital on their behalf."

More than 55,000 people voted for families from across the country who submitted 30-second home videos of their family's best dance moves to www.FamilyDanceoff.com. The Lopez family earned enough votes to compete last week as one of seven weekly finalists vying for the grand prize of $5,000 and the local hospital donation.

Calia Lopez, age 2, attends the Primrose School of Springs Ranch, where the Lopez family learned of the Family Dance-off contest. Parents Carlos and Heidi Lopez are both educators – Carlos an elementary school principal and Heidi a high school choral teacher. The contest was a perfect fit for this family, who understands the value of being active and spending time together. Their video, "I Love You…Primrose," shows the whole family having fun, including 8-month old Caden.

"Not only did our family have a great time competing in this contest, but we wanted to raise awareness for this worthwhile cause," said Carlos Lopez. "As an elementary school principal, I've had a number of students over the years whose lives have been touched by The Children's Hospital and we're proud to be able to support their efforts."

The Children's Hospital sees, treats and heals more children than any other hospital in its seven-state region. With more than 1,000 pediatric specialists and 3,000 full-time employees, The Children's Hospital aims to improve the health of children through the provision of high-quality coordinated programs of patient care, education, research and advocacy.

"On behalf of the entire staff here at The Children's Hospital, we would like to thank Primrose Schools and all participating families for their support of Children's Miracle Network through the Family Dance-off," said Steve Winesett, President and CEO of The Children's Hospital Foundation. "This event was a fantastic opportunity for families all across the country to engage in a fun and healthy activity while raising awareness for pediatric health care. We appreciate not only the financial support but also the community awareness that was raised during this campaign."

The Family Dance-off competition ran from Feb. 1 to March 26. Each week Primrose named a weekly finalist based upon popular votes. The seven finalist videos were then reviewed and rated by an independent panel of judges based on the number of votes, creativity, originality and humor of the videos. In addition to the grand prize winner, the two runners-up will receive a Wii Fit Bundle and each weekly finalist will be awarded a Flip Video™ Camcorder.

The Primrose Family Dance-off was created to promote healthy bodies and happy hearts. Childhood obesity and the need for more physical activity are critical issues for young children in America. The American Heart Association recommends that children ages two and older participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.

About Primrose Schools

Founded in 1982, Primrose Schools is the nation's leader in providing consistent, accredited early childhood education and child care services in more than 200 schools in 16 states. Primrose School's foundation is based on a dedicated and passionate group of early childhood professionals providing high quality education with a balance of learning, character development and play.

Primrose School's Balanced Learning® Curriculum blends teacher-directed and child-initiated activities and is consistently delivered in all Primrose Schools nationwide. This exclusive curriculum is standards-based and enables teachers to help children build a foundation of knowledge and skills that will enable them to move successfully from one level of development to the next. Primrose is the first preschool organization in the country to achieve the gold standard in educational accreditation from AdvancED and to require all of its schools to become SACS CASI or NCA CASI accredited.

For more information, visit www.primroseschools.com.

About Children's Miracle Network

Children's Miracle Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children's hospitals. Each year the 170 Children's Miracle Network hospitals provide the finest medical care, life-saving research and preventative education to help millions of kids overcome diseases and injuries of every kind. To learn more, visit www.childrensmiraclenetwork.org.

SOURCE Primrose Schools