Rainbow Station at Three Chopt Becomes First Preschool and School Age Recreation Program in the World to Achieve Leader in Me Lighthouse Status
Glen Allen, Va. (PRWEB) April 17, 2014 -- Rainbow Station, a leader in early childhood education, school age recreation and wellness, recently announced its Three Chopt school has achieved Lighthouse Status. Recognized as the first preschool and school age recreation program in the world to hold this position, Rainbow Station now joins a group of 70+ other education systems with this prestigious title. Spearheaded by FranklinCovey, the Leader In Me Lighthouse Status is focused on rewarding schools that have developed and maintained a strong leadership platform.
“It is an honor to be recognized as the first Lighthouse preschool in the world,” said Gail Johnson, CEO and Founder of Rainbow Station. “Every single person within our school has contributed to this achievement, and we couldn’t have reached this point without the incredible expertise, passion, dedication and support of our executive and Three Chopt team.”
In 2010, Johnson saw FranklinCovey’s 7 Habits program executed firsthand during a tour at A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary. Risking her career to ensure its success, A.B. Combs Principal Muriel Summers was the first educator to institute the 7 Habits at an elementary school level; 10 years after declining admission rates threatened to close her school. Completely awed by the leadership and growth she witnessed of the elementary school children, Gail made it her mission to become the first 7 Habits Leader in Me preschool in the world.
“At that point, I became determined to take this process and implement it at the preschool level,” said Johnson. “Because children’s minds are like blank slates during their early stages of development, I knew we had an incredible opportunity to make a significant impact in each child’s life from the very onset of their growth.”
The early childhood education leader has been working toward Lighthouse Status for four years. In order to be considered, a school must meet certain criteria set by FranklinCovey. Schools must create a Lighthouse team who encourages and instills The Leader in Me process across the system; an environment that reinforces leadership language and incorporates music, art and technology; an integrated instruction and curriculum where the 7 Habits plays a vital role in the students’ education; staff collaboration, student leadership, parent involvement, leadership events, goal tracking and measurable results.
“It was a transformative learning journey, as we were the pioneers of this process for preschool children,” said Executive Vice President Susan Bishop. “We had to analyze the criteria and figure out how to apply it to a preschool environment. It has truly become our dream and ambition, and we look forward to seeing this process developed across our entire system and in more preschools throughout the nation.”
Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the Rainbow Station brand was conceived and refined by Johnson and a passionate and dedicated leadership team with over 187 years of combined experience in the children’s education sector. Beginning her career as a pediatric nurse, Johnson identified a shift that was occurring in society. More women were joining the workforce in the 1980s and were left to find suitable care for their children.
Today, Rainbow Station is internationally recognized as the only early learning institution that offers such a premium suite of services. There are 10 Rainbow Station campuses located in the United States — including franchises in Indiana, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia — and one location in China. All franchisees, domestic and international, are committed to Rainbow Station’s vision of excellence and promoting the success of each child enrolled in their schools.
ABOUT RAINBOW STATION
Rainbow Station is the premier provider of early education, school-aged recreation, emergency backup care and leadership development in the U.S. Its comprehensive approach to building the future one child at a time incorporates Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, and teaches each of these tenets throughout its programming as part of its “The Leader in Me” initiative. Curriculum-based learning using the proprietary curriculum, PLAYWORKS®, is offered for infants through private kindergarten as well as programs for school-aged children. Rainbow Station is accredited through the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children), SACS (Southern Association of Colleges Schools) and the COA (Council on Accreditation).Each Rainbow Station features the Get Well Place, a facility within the campus staffed by a pediatric nurse that accepts mildly ill children. Additionally, Rainbow Station created a school-aged program called The Village, an interactive learning environment based on freedom and choice where children can receive tutoring, complete their homework and engage in active play before and after school hours. Its latest innovation, Camp Blue Sky, a dynamic summer camp concept, debuts this summer at its Virginia locations. Rainbow Station launched its expansion into international markets by opening its first school in China in 2013.To learn more about the leading early education franchise, please visit http://www.rainbowstation.org.
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Greg Avodian, No Limit Agency, 312.526.3996, [email protected]
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