It's Cap and Gown Time for America's Pre-School Children; Tutor Time Centers Celebrate Graduation Across the Nation

BOCA RATON, Florida (June 7, 1999) -- Across the nation, some very young children -- just like the "big kids in high school and college" -- will be graduating from pre-school and looking forward, with a bit of nervous anticipation, to starting Kindergarten in the fall. At many of the 200 Tutor Time Child Care centers in America, fun-filled graduation ceremonies, complete with caps and gowns, are planned to celebrate this event for children ages 3-6 years old.

Tutor Time's Newark, Del., center will incorporate a "Blast Off Into the Future" space age theme during graduation ceremonies June 8 and June 11. Deanna Speir, Franchise owner, said the center's entrance way will be decorated like the inside of a space ship, other rooms will be filled with pictures of stars and planets and the children will be served cake in the shape of space ships. The children will also fill a time capsule with mementos to be stored at the Tutor Time center for 30 years.

"We picked this futuristic theme with the idea of looking forward to the next millennium -- positively, with hope and excitement of good things that will come with improved technology and maybe even space travel," Speir said. "To demonstrate our theme, a group of children plan to sing the song 'I Believe I Can Fly' and we expect to have more than 350 parents and grandparents attend this year's graduation."

The Tutor Time in Parkland, Florida, will be holding graduation June 9 with a multi-cultural "Children Around the World" theme celebration.

At other Tutor Time centers, between June and up to August, children ages 3-6 years old will be taking part in traditional graduation ceremonies complete with the music of "Pomp and Circumstance" and the wearing of caps and gowns.

Tutor Time, with headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., has been named by Entrepreneur magazine as the #1 child care franchise and is ranked as the fastest growing child care company in the nation. All Tutor Time centers have certified early education teachers on staff who are trained in the aspects of the company's new Curriculum 2000 Learning Links™ program, a progressive early education program for 2, 3 and 4-year-old children. Other Tutor Time special features include Tutor Towne™, an indoor miniature village with a post office and fire station, and all of the centers are equipped with Safe 'N Sound™, the company's electronic security system.

For franchise information, visit Tutor Time on BISON.