Kiddie Academy® promotes literacy with national reading event

Educational child care provider to host free, interactive 'Storytime LIVE!'

ABINGDON, Md., July 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 200 Kiddie Academy^® Educational Child Care franchise locations nationwide will host "Storytime LIVE!," a free event featuring read-alouds of popular children's books like "Dragons Love Tacos" and "Pete The Cat." Families can meet their favorite storybook characters at the events scheduled for various weekends throughout July, August and September.

"When parents and children read together, children gain language and social-emotional skills while also bonding and building a more secure attachment," said Joy Turner, vice president of education at Kiddie Academy. "Decades of research show that reading to your children is one of the most beneficial things you can do for their cognitive development."

According to Newsweek, current data shows that reading is on the decline, and screen time has increased for children. A recent HarperCollins UK survey indicates that less than half of parents of children up to 13 years old describe reading aloud to kids as being "fun" for them. If current trends persist, U.S. literacy levels will continue to drop as they have by nearly 10 points from 2017, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

"Through our Life Essentials^® curriculum and nationwide Storytime LIVE! events, we hope to encourage a love of reading in children and to show parents how to make reading fun for their whole family," added Turner.

In November 2023, Kiddie Academy created and published a book entitled "Day One Is Fun!" to showcase the socialization and learning benefits of educational child care and ease the first day of child care nerves. Families who tour a Kiddie Academy may receive a copy of the book while supplies last.

Parents may go to kiddieacademy.com/academies/event/storytime-live/ to find and register for a Storytime LIVE! event at a participating Academy location and may visit kiddieacademy.com/academies to find the nearest location.

About Kiddie Academy^®
Since its inception in 1981, the Kiddie Academy system has been recognized as a leading brand in educational child care. The company serves families and their children ages 6 weeks to 12 years old, offering full- and part-time care, before- and after-school care, and summer camp programs, through the Kiddie Academy system. Kiddie Academy's proprietary Life Essentials^® Curriculum, supporting programs, methods, activities, and techniques help prepare children for life. The company's philanthropic efforts, including support of national nonprofit Family Promise, take character education lessons learned in the classroom beyond Academy walls. Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, LLC has also received corporate accreditation from the globally recognized Cognia accreditation system, signifying its commitment to quality education and the highest standards in child care. For more information, visit kiddieacademy.com or find Kiddie Academy on Facebook at facebook.com/kiddieacademy.

About Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, LLC
Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, LLC is based in Maryland. There are currently more than 350 open Academies in the Kiddie Academy system, located in 40 states and Washington, D.C., serving nearly 40,000 children. Each franchised location in the Kiddie Academy system is an independently owned and operated business. For more information, visit franchising.kiddieacademy.com.

Media Contact: 
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SOURCE Kiddie Academy