Easter Seals Unveils New Cast of Characters to Help Parents Focus on Key Areas of Child Development
New Make the First Five Count™ Animated Video and Animal Characters Reinforce Development Areas for Parents to Monitor in the Earliest Stages of Life
PR Newswire, April 28, 2015 (Chicago, IL): Easter Seals, one of the country’s leading providers of child development services, introduces a new video with a cast of animated characters to help parents understand the importance of monitoring their child’s development. Make the First Five Count (makethefirstfivecount.org) is a movement to ensure all children are entering kindergarten with the right skills to succeed alongside their peers.
“Easter Seals is dedicated to ensuring all children have every opportunity to reach their full potential,” said Katy Beh Neas, Easter Seals’ Executive Vice President of Government Relations. “We’ve created this new video to help parents learn the basics of child development. At the new website, parents can find a screening tool and other information designed to support the well-being of children. Monitoring development should be treated as a common part of our annual routines, like spring cleaning or a trip to the dentist.”
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The first five years of life lay the foundation for a child’s overall success. Because every child develops at a different rate and in different ways, even the most attentive parents can find it confusing to monitor their child’s development accurately. Easter Seals is the only national service provider to offer free access to a comprehensive and confidential screening tool on its website to help guide parents through these crucial years.
The animated video, conceptualized by cause marketing agency, CK&D, brings Easter Seals’ new animal characters to life. CK&D recruited children’s illustrator, Jane Sanders, to create five animal characters to represent these five primary areas of child development:
- Relationships (Kangaroo): Build strong relationships with your kids to make them feel safe to develop trust, explore, and learn. Healthy social and emotional development lets children cope with emotions and frustrations and navigate peer relationships.
- Exploring and Learning (Elephant): Allow kids opportunities to explore and problem solve from an early age so they can begin to understand the world around them.
- Communication (Monkey): Smile, talk, read and listen to your kids every chance you can to encourage language and reading development.
- Playing (Penguin): Acting silly, playing and interacting with your kids. These experiences help guide social, emotional, language, physical and intellectual maturity.
- Moving (Cheetah): Encourage kids to move—movements both big and small are important for physical growth.
Easter Seals will roll out the characters on its digital platforms during the week of April 20. This summer, Easter Seals will host an opportunity for kids to name the characters through a soon-to-be announced contest.
“While each child is unique and develops at his or her own pace, regular screenings are crucial because they help parents know where their child is in meeting developmental milestones,” said Neas. “Easter Seals is proud to have helped 30,000 parents, grandparents and other loved ones to date in taking this free, comprehensive health screening tool to help all children reach their full potential.”
Easter Seals encourages parents, care providers and communities to spread our message of child wellness by sharing our video and resources like the Ages and Stages Questionnaires ® developmental screening—inspiring more parents to take the next step in ensuring their child’s success.
About Easter Seals:
Easter Seals is the leading non-profit provider of services for individuals with autism, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities and other special needs. For nearly 100 years, we have been offering help, hope, and answers to children and adults living with disabilities, and to the families who love them. Through therapy, training, education and support services, Easter Seals creates life-changing solutions so that people with disabilities can live, learn, work and play. To learn more about Easter Seals and services in communities nationwide, visit www.easterseals.com.
About CK&D:
CK&D is a cause marketing and media group that consults with leading charitable brands and Fortune 500 companies to create socially responsible marketing strategies that elevate your cause or issue to a global stage. Learn more at https://ckd-la.com.
Media Contact:
Elsa Remak
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