Primrose Schools® Receives Excellence in Education Award

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Jun 21, 2010, 11:46 ET

ATLANTA, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- AdvancED has named Jo Kirchner, president and CEO of Primrose Schools, the AdvancED Excellence in Education Award Winner for accredited corporations. Primrose Schools is a national early childhood education company with more than 200 schools across the country.

Jo was recognized for her leadership and contributions in promoting and advancing excellence in education, especially in serving young children. She was selected from candidates from across the United States and overseas. Jo accepted the award at the recent 2010 AdvancED Conference held in Atlanta.

"Jo's vision, passion and commitment to early childhood education and her unparalleled leadership in advancing excellence in education are worthy of this significant recognition," said Claudia Carter, associate vice president of AdvancED. "Under Jo's leadership, Primrose Schools is a leading and innovative corporation serving young children across the country."

AdvancED provides accreditation and school improvement services to 27,000 schools and districts around the world. In 1998, Primrose became the first educational preschool company to earn national accreditation from CITA/SACS CASI (now part of AdvancED) ultimately reinforcing its long-standing commitment to high-quality early childhood education, paving the way for others to follow later. Primrose Schools requires all of its schools to obtain accreditation from SACS CASI / NCA CASI through AdvancED.

"Every day our corporate team and franchise owners strive to provide the very best nurturing and learning environment for the young children entrusted to our care. Being innovative in the field of early childhood education is part of the fabric of Primrose and we are so humbled to receive this award," said Kirchner. "We lead by example. By affiliating with AdvancED, we help raise the bar for excellence in education. We seek to help transform education for a rapidly changing world."

The Excellence in Education Award recognizes the award winner for leadership and achievements in education. Nominees were judged on their contributions in the following areas:

Generating a common vision and mission for higher expectations among students, faculty, and the education community.
Demonstrating a record of significant and distinguished contribution to the education profession.
Providing a lasting positive impact on student learning.
Serving as a role model and mentor for students and/or future generations of educators.
Demonstrating significant professional contribution to accreditation and continuous improvement.

About AdvancED

AdvancED is dedicated to advancing excellence in education through accreditation, research, and professional services. AdvancED is the parent organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI).

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.

SOURCE Primrose Schools