Primrose Schools® Breaks Fundraising Record by 16.8 Percent

Primrose Schools
Published: January 30th, 2019

Leading Child Care Provider Focuses CSR Efforts on People, the Planet and Philanthropy

ATLANTA - Jan. 29, 2019 // PRNewswire // - Leading early education and care provider Primrose Schools and its nearly 400 independently owned schools across the country joined forces for the most successful fundraising and volunteering year in the company's 36-year history. Through its Primrose Promise^SM CSR program, more than 63,000 Primrose children and their families engaged in giving efforts that generated more than $914,000 for local and national charities in 2018. These efforts represent a 16.8 percent increase over the company's 2017 impact.

Primrose Promise gives Primrose team members, children and their families meaningful opportunities to make a difference in their communities. Primrose Promise efforts focus on three key impact areas - people, the planet and philanthropy - and help Primrose fulfill its mission to forge a path that leads to a brighter future for all children.

"We constantly look for new and better ways to teach giving without expectation in our schools," said Primrose Schools CEO Jo Kirchner. "We hope that our commitment to nurturing character and altruism will result in future citizens who aspire to empower others, care for the planet and give back to their communities."

People
Primrose is passionate about helping people - children, families, staff and early education professionals - reach their full potential through dedicated early education and care partnerships, research and advocacy. In 2018, the company accomplished the following:

• Primrose participated in the ReadyNation Global Business Summit on Early Education, where Kirchner joined other thought leaders for a discussion on social entrepreneurship in early childhood.
• Kirchner also addressed the importance of raising the bar for public education at the Committee for Economic Development's Fall Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. Other Primrose executives advocated for students and educators by presenting insights at the 2018 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Annual Conference.
• Primrose donated $75,000 to ZERO TO THREE to support early education research and $50,000 to the World Forum Foundation's World Forum on Early Care and Education to promote quality early childhood education around the world.

Planet
Primrose is committed to helping children understand the importance of sustainability and their responsibility to help protect the planet. Last year, Primrose Schools made the decision to be even more intentional with these efforts:

• As part of the exclusive Primrose Balanced Learning® approach, more than 63,000 children engaged in sustainability lessons in classrooms and Primrose Patch teaching gardens, learning the value of recycling and taking care of the environment.
• Primrose team members and families planted trees, engaged in community beautification efforts and explored opportunities to adopt environmentally responsible practices.

Philanthropy
The entire Primrose organization embraces the importance of "giving without expectation," an ideal that is also nurtured in children as part of the Primrose Balanced Learning approach. In 2018, Primrose leveraged collective action to advance quality early education, children's health and safety, and emergency relief and preparedness:

• Franchise Owners hosted annual Primrose Promise Giving Events - like fundraisers and volunteer activities, which brought teachers, staff, families and children together - donating more than 4,000 hours of service and raising more than $315,000 for local nonprofit organizations. Primrose children also developed character traits like kindness, compassion, generosity and citizenship by participating in annual book collections and canned food drives, collectively donating 56,000 books to children in need and nearly 250,000 nonperishable food items to local food banks.
• Schools provided disaster relief support by supplying resources, sending handwritten cards to victims and making donations to relief organizations like Save the Children the American Red Cross. Throughout the year, Primrose children learned safety tips from first responders, who visited their classrooms, and thanked them for their service.
• Nationally, Primrose supported a variety of children's charities - including Save the Children and ZERO TO THREE - through the Primrose Schools Children's Foundation (PSCF), the 501(c)(3) nonprofit of Primrose Schools. In 2018, PSCF donated more than $456,000 to support the efforts of its national partners to help children in need.

By increasing access to quality education, encouraging sustainable practices and good health for all children, and nurturing the value of giving without expectation, Primrose can further advance its mission to forge a path that leads to a brighter future for all children. Learn more about Primrose Schools by visiting 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.

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SOURCE Primrose Schools®