KIDTIME Discovery Experience

Will be featured on The Learning Channel and is in contention for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Grant

MEDFORD, Ore., August 11, 2011– Kid Time! Discovery Experience, Medford’s a hand’s on children’s discovery and family learning center will be featured Monday August 15th on The Learning Channels special series “Surprise Homecoming” while also being considered for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh grant.

Now operating in its new location at 106 N Central Avenue in downtown Medford, Kid Time! has seen tremendous growth, with 50-100% increases in attendance each month. The local enthusiasm caught the attention of The Learning Channel in May, as they sought a family-friendly location to film an episode of the series “Surprise Homecoming” that documents that surprise return of military servicemen and servicewomen and the effects of the separation on their families.

The “surprise” took place during a preview of an upcoming early education programs to be offered in collaboration with the Family Nurturing Center and Kid Time!. “It was an honor to take part in such a heartfelt moment for these parents and their baby girl,” says Kid Time! Executive Director Sunny Spicer.

In an effort to reach families and increase the availability of vital information, Kid Time! is seeking a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh grant. Kid Time! was selected among thousands of applicants and is now in the midst of a public vote. Those projects receiving the top 10 highest votes will be funded.

Kid Time! connects imaginative play with a child’s ability to succeed in life. Filled with interactive, brain-developing activities designed to facilitate parent/child interaction, Kid Time! provides the tools for children to reach their full potential. With 41% of Jackson County children not completing high school, it is imperative that children are ready for school and have the capacity to learn so that they can complete their education and lead successful lives.

“When our kids don’t finish school and don’t have the ability to succeed in the work force, we pay a huge price” says Andy Batzer, Kid Time! Board Member “For every dollar we invest in quality early childhood programs, we as a society see a return of $13.00. The bulk of that $13.00 is in criminal justice savings. That doesn’t include the $325,000,000 in lost life-time earnings from the estimated 1000 children that don’t graduate every year in Jackson County alone.”

By focusing efforts on our youngest population, during a time that yields the highest results, Kid Time! helps reduce the effects of poverty and electronic distractions by improving success in school and stronger family relationships that ultimately reduce the likelihood of addiction, criminal activity, dependence on welfare programs and more.

“This is an exciting opportunity for not only for our organization, but for the children of this community” says Sunny Spicer, Kid Time! Executive Director. Construction on the first phase of the
project is complete, and fundraising for the second phase of this expansion is underway. The new venue offers 18,000 square feet of exhibit space filled with hands-on interactive exhibits, focusing on the Past, Present and Future of the Rogue Valley.

Many of the exhibits will represent local business and industry, including a Kids Credit Union sponsored by Rogue Federal Credit Union. “Rogue Federal is committed to providing a better future for the youth in our community” says Jeanne Pickens, Vice President of Marketing, “ We have chosen to partner with Kid Time because they provide the hands on learning experiences that are necessary to a child’s proper development.”

Early education programs that focus on optimal brain development and engage parents with their children while building a dedication to the life-long learning process are essential to a vital and healthy society. Since 2005, Kid Time! has been working collaboratively with social service organizations, service clubs, educators and local businesses to provide quality early education programs to nearly 250,000 visitors. Attendance in the new, more visible location in downtown Medford is expected to grow to over 100,000 visits annually.

The entire relocation and expansion project is expected to cost $825,000. Oregon Community Foundation generously supported the endeavor with a 2 year $230,000 grant to start the process. “Obtaining this grant from Pepsi would provide an enormous boost to our fundraising efforts” says Spicer “and help us reach out to many, many families.”

The public at large can vote for the project by texting the number 108096 to 73774, or visiting www.refresheverything.com, and collecting caps from Pepsi products with special voting codes that increase your votes. Additional information is available at www.kid-time.org or by following Kid Time! on Facebook.

For more information, visit www.kid-time.org or call 541.772.9922

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