Talaris Institute™ and Teaching Strategies, Inc. Announce Teaching Strategies' Acquisition of Parenting Counts Product Line

SEATTLE and BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Talaris Institute™ and Teaching Strategies, Inc. are pleased to announce Teaching Strategies' acquisition of the Parenting Counts product line, developed by the Talaris Institute, a non-profit organization founded by Bruce and Jolene McCaw.  Parenting Counts is a research-based family of products designed to support parents and caregivers in raising socially and emotionally healthy children.

The Parenting Counts product line includes over 140 resources, such as parenting kits, books, videos, handouts, and online resources.  Parenting Counts also offers resources for early learning professionals, including a new, innovative 20-hour online training program, The Parenting Counts Professional Program, focused on the social and emotional development of children from birth to age five.

"When we started Talaris, shortly after the birth of our first child, our goal was to translate research on early childhood brain development into practical tools that parents and caregivers could trust.  We're proud of the many ways Talaris has made a difference in the lives of families and young children," said Jolene McCaw.   "After 12 years focused on developing resources for families, we feel that this is the right time to partner with a like-minded organization who can take our materials to a much greater scale.  We are thrilled that Teaching Strategies is acquiring these amazing parenting materials, as they are the perfect organization to carry out our mission."

"We are eager to share this important work with our customers around the country and the world," said Diane Trister Dodge, founder and president of Teaching Strategies, Inc.  "We are grateful for the trust that the McCaw family has placed in Teaching Strategies and thank them for their support of early learning over the years. We are so pleased that a wider group of parents and educators can now benefit from their vision. A partnership between families and teachers has always been an important part of all editions of The Creative Curriculum®. Also, Family Connection is one of our four essential pillars to creating a high-quality early childhood program. We are excited to strengthen our product line with these rich, research-based resources from the Talaris Institute."

Teaching Strategies will continue to offer the Parenting Counts product line for purchase and plans to work closely with Parenting Counts customers to ensure a seamless transition.  "We recognize that children's first and lifelong teachers are their families, and it is our goal to strengthen the bond and partnership that families have with their children and their children's teachers," said Diane Trister Dodge. "We share Talaris Institute's commitment to providing families and early childhood educators with the most up-to-date, research-based information, and assure Parenting Counts customers that they can count on Teaching Strategies to provide the same high quality support and assistance that they have received from Talaris."

About Talaris Institute™ and Parenting Counts
Talaris Institute is a Seattle-based nonprofit whose mission is to support parents and caregivers in raising socially and emotionally healthy children. To learn more about Talaris Institute, please visit www.talaris.org.

Parenting Counts is the research-based family of products developed by the Talaris Institute. There are over 140 Parenting Counts products including parenting kits, books, videos, handouts, and online resources, all designed to support parents and caregivers in raising socially and emotionally healthy children.   Parenting Counts also offers resources for early learning professionals, including an innovative new 20-hour online training program, The Parenting Counts Professional Program, focused on the social and emotional development of children from birth to age five.

About Teaching Strategies, Inc.
Teaching Strategies is a dynamic educational publishing company that serves the early childhood community exclusively, bringing curriculum, assessment, professional development, and family connection resources to programs serving children from birth through kindergarten. Its mission is to provide the most effective early education resources to support the critical work of early childhood educators.

To learn more about Teaching Strategies, please visit www.TeachingStrategies.com.

CONTACTS
Grant Davies, (301) 634-0818, x1132
[email protected]

Jonah Stuart, (301) 832-6697
[email protected]

Amy Houser, (301) 634-0818, x1705
[email protected]

SOURCE Teaching Strategies, Inc.