Nick Jr. Family Magazine Names Nation's Top Pre-school Teachers in September Issue

Nick Jr. Family Magazine Names Nation's Top Pre-school Teachers in September Issue

Back-to-School Themed Issue Hits Stands August 15th

NEW YORK, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- With parents getting ready to send their little ones off to school, some for the first time, Nick Jr. Family magazine takes a look at some of the country's most outstanding pre-school educators in its September issue, on sale August 15. Selected from over 500 nominees from parents and education experts nationwide, these 11 inspiring teachers prove that great educators really do help shape great students.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060815/NYTU089 )

"Because pre-school is such a crucial part of a child's development process, Nick Jr. Family Magazine wanted to celebrate some of the top achievers in early childhood education," said Editor-in-Chief Freddi Greenberg. "Parents and pre-school educators essentially share the same goal -identifying and nurturing a child's strengths and love of learning. As parents get ready to send kids back to school, preschool teachers can be parent's partners in providing the know-how to help unlock the mystery and magic behind social, intellectual and emotional learning for their children."

The top preschool educators were chosen from nominations submitted by parents from all across the country. Nick Jr. Family Magazine also consulted various experts in early childhood education and educational research, including the Erikson Institute in Chicago, the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina, The National Institute for Education Research in New Brunswick, NJ, and The Gesell Institute of Human Development in New Haven, CT.

The 11 teachers chosen to be featured are (listed alphabetically by first name):

* Colleen Taylor - North Idaho College Children's Center
(Coeur d'Alene, ID)

* Connie Coulianos - Hollingworth Preschool at Teachers College, Columbia
University (New York, NY)

* Dianne "Dee" Hudnall - Green Tree Child Care, Bright Horizons Family
Solutions (Memphis, TN)

* Ethelena Freeman - Early Childhood Learning Center (New Haven, CT)

* Heidi Manheim - Saint John's Therapeutic Preschool (Santa Monica, CA)

* Kim O'Keefe - DeKeyser Elementary School (Sterling Heights, MI)

* Liz Russell - Bret Harte Elementary School (Chicago, IL)

* Rhonda Crigger - Southside Elementary School (Toler, KY)

* Tom Limbert - Bing Nursery School, Stanford University (Stanford, CA)

* Vivian Dobrinsky & Iris Hernandez - Escuelita Boriken (Boston, MA)

From transforming the classroom into a spaceship or a volcano, to fostering cultural diversity by having students "eat" plastic sushi and "shop" with foreign coins, these teachers have done it all. Though each has sharpened the focal points of his or her teaching strategy -- imaginative play, world awareness and learning through music, to name a few -- the benefits of each methodology are far ranging. Their activities teach kids the skills they need to excel in the future, in all aspects of life.

The teachers also provide parents with some helpful take-home tips to prep them for the start of school such as keeping up with the reading material that comes home from school each day. Research shows children whose parents are involved in their schooling perform better academically and socially. Other tips include playing with a child to cultivate her curiosity and imagination, or having him create a self portrait to facilitate observation skills.

Nick Jr. Family Magazine's September issue also features additional helpful articles to get parents and kids in gear for back-to-school. "Healthy, Happy Kids" discusses symptoms of stress in kids and gives some essential facts on common back-to-school bugs. In "Class Parent, Updated," parents get the scoop on how to stay in tune with their kids even with a busy schedule. "10 Little Milestones (and Why They're Important)" highlights non- traditional but life-changing kid moments. And in "Think Outside the Lunch Box," parents get the scoop on how to add fun, flavor and nutrition to their child's usual midday meal.

Nick Jr. Family Magazine, now in its seventh year, is the fastest growing magazine in the Parenting category. Published nine times a year, it is distributed to preschools across the country and is also available at bookstores and newsstands and via subscription. Nick Jr. Family Magazine builds on the strength of the Nick Jr. brand to provide today's busy parents of kids ages 0-11 with the latest information on child development, news and family products, as well as the simplest creative activities and ideas for spending time as a family. Nick Jr. Family Magazine has won numerous awards from the Association of Educational Publishers, including Periodical of the Year and the Golden Lamp Award. The magazine has been featured on ADWEEK's Top Ten Hot List in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Nick Jr. Family Magazine has a circulation of 1.5 million and a total audience of 5.4 million.

Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one rated basic cable network for eleven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B).

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060815/NYTU089
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN5
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses, +1-212-846-7326, or Thamar Romero,
+1-212-846-7491, both of Nickelodeon

Web site: http://www.nick.com/

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