Primrose Schools® CEO Challenges Business Leaders to Help At-Risk Children Through Collaboration and Innovation

Jo Kirchner Emphasizes Importance of Public-Private Partnerships at 2018 ReadyNation Global Summit in New York

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Nov 06, 2018, 10:03 ET

ATLANTA, Nov. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovation in early education is the key to developing a strong future workforce – that was the message from Jo Kirchner, CEO of national high-quality early education and care provider Primrose Schools, at the Council for a Strong America's 2018 ReadyNation Global Business Summit on Early Education in New York last week. And, the research backs her up. According to a report released by Dell Technologies last year, 85 percent of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven't even been invented yet.

Primrose Schools CEO Jo Kirchner (third from left) participates in a panel on social entrepreneurship in early childhood at the 2018 ReadyNation Global Business Summit on Early Education hosted by the Council for a Strong America on Nov. 2, 2018. Primrose Schools, a national high-quality early education and care provider, has nearly 400 schools across the U.S.

"We're preparing children to work, live and lead in a world we can't fully imagine," Kirchner said. "In order to nurture a creative, agile and resourceful workforce, the early education industry – and our entire society – must constantly innovate and collaborate, or we risk failing our children and hindering their futures."

Speaking as part of a panel on social entrepreneurship in early childhood, Kirchner pledged to prioritize innovation for the nearly 400 Primrose^® schools from coast to coast, and she challenged business leaders and other attendees to do the same. Primrose is already innovating in its classrooms through its exclusive, research-informed Balanced Learning^® approach, which nurtures children's intellectual, creative, physical and social-emotional development. Kirchner also shared that Primrose has been considering ways it can leverage its expertise to innovate outside of its classrooms, too.

"We know our Balanced Learning approach works," Kirchner explained. "The children in our schools consistently achieve high scores on school readiness measures, and we're working to find a way to share what we do with underserved communities, which have the most to gain by getting access to high-quality early education and care."

Science tells us that the human brain grows faster in the first five years of life than it ever will again. Kirchner said early childhood is the best time to introduce and reinforce healthy habits and character traits along with fundamental intellectual, creative and physical skills.

"The earlier children learn positive behaviors, the more likely they are to adopt those behaviors for life," she said. "We must ensure that our most vulnerable children receive the right foundation for learning and life."

This focus on improving nationwide access to quality early childhood education helps Primrose live out its mission to forge a path that leads to a brighter future for all children and uphold its responsibility as an industry leader. However, Kirchner acknowledged that public-private partnerships will be essential to their success. She believes efforts to improve access to early education as part of community transformation will rely on the collective efforts of business executives, politicians, healthcare professionals and philanthropists.

"Access to high-quality early education and care is critical to our nation's future," Kirchner said. "We must work together to educate and nurture our youngest citizens so they are equipped to keep our country and our economy strong."

For more information about Primrose Schools, visit www.PrimroseSchools.com.

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 400 Primrose schools in 29 states today. Each school is independently owned and operated by Franchise Owners who work together 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 Pointers for Parents emails and find a Primrose school near you.

SOURCE Primrose Schools