K12 Inc. Launches EmbarK12 Comprehensive, a Kindergarten-Readiness Product; New, Award-Winning Program Gets Children Ages 3 to 5 Ready for Kindergarten

July 24, 2013
New product aims to fulfill the need for high-quality early learning programs to prepare children for kindergarten and is being made available to consumers and school districts for the first time.

HERNDON, Va., Jul 24, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) --

via PRWEB - Industry leader K12 Inc. [NYSE: LRN], is fulfilling the need for high-quality early learning programs through the release of a product aimed at preparing children for kindergarten: EmbarK12 TM Comprehensive. The innovative, research-based, award-winning kindergarten-readiness product has already been introduced in some of the leading national pre-K learning centers. The curriculum is now being made available to consumers and school districts for the first time.

EmbarK12 is an extension of K12 Inc.'s [NYSE: LRN] commitment to offer the most engaging and innovative products and programs to inspire young minds and provide high-caliber, individualized learning options. Development was spearheaded by K12's Dr. Melissa King, who has more than 35 years of professional experience as an educator, in conjunction with a highly skilled team of developers and designers.

EmbarK12 Comprehensive Program Description

  • A truly comprehensive, easy-to-use, all-in-one pre-K program offering both online and offline activities with rich multimedia and hands-on, minds-on engagement for children who are 3 to 5 years of age.
  • The customizable lesson plans can be tailored to child-specific skills and interests and include more than 450 online activities and more than 750 hands-on activities. There are 18 thematic units, each with intuitive, related content and instructional experiences for language arts, math, science, social studies, art, and music. Examples of themes include: "Family and Friends," "My Five Senses" and "Looking at Animals."
  • The program has already won multiple awards, including the Parents' Choice Award, Association of Educational Publishers Golden Lamp Award Finalist and Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement Award.
  • Parents are encouraged to review "KINDERGARTEN: Is Your Child Ready?" and to play an active role in a highly individualized, early learning process.
  • Curriculum is aligned with state and national standards and with core principles of early childhood education established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and Core Knowledge Foundation.

Cyber-Savvy Youngsters Realizing Full, Academic Potential

"Whether your child is thriving in a neighborhood preschool or you're juggling multiple things and have a youngster who is curious and open to learning in new and different ways at home, EmbarK12 is designed to meet you and your child where you are," explains Dr. King. "Age 3 to 5 is such a precious time and opportunity. I think we all instinctively know this as parents. Having a program that makes the most of this important window of time is an early learning advantage we can't afford to miss if we want our children to reach their true academic potential."

"I'm excited about EmbarK12 because it offers the best content, the best instruction, the best materials and the best design. I'm sure parents will share my enthusiasm when they see how well EmbarK12 can prepare their children for kindergarten," she added.

"There's no question young children today are increasingly cyber savvy and engaging products developed with sound learning fundamentals can help prepare the next generation of young students to not just get off on the right foot, but to head into elementary school with a strong foundation and real learning momentum," explained Dr. Margaret Jorgensen, K12's Chief Academic Officer. "It could be game-changing for young students who deserve the brightest of futures."

Many others in the education arena echo the importance of quality pre-K education. Educators across the U.S. have identified kindergarten-readiness as an educational priority, and even the President of the United States has made kindergarten-readiness a national issue. According to the U.S. Department of Education, there is a robust body of evidence and research demonstrating that high-quality, early learning programs help children arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed in school and in life.

Enhanced Classroom Engagement

EmbarK12 Comprehensive is also available to school districts looking to enhance or launch a pre-K program, which may mean eligibility to receive public funding for pre-K programs from their respective state or local district, through special education or Head Start.

KelliAnn Garcia, Manager of KinderCare Education Programs, described, "EmbarK12 enables our teachers to spark and support conversations and encourage critical thinking and make connections between foundational concepts and larger ideas. With EmbarK12, Classrooms become a place of adventure where children can continue to feed their curiosity and continue their skill development."

The multidisciplinary approach of EmbarK12 keeps children engaged and interested and fosters a natural curiosity, so they can learn more across a variety of learning domains. Through games, pictures and graphics, children begin to explore the larger world around them and the people and places within it, while building their language, math and communications skills in a natural, intuitive setting.

"With EmbarK12, our teachers can take children on journeys to places they dream about, discover new ideas and concepts, and explore a whole new world together," added Garcia.

More information available at http://www.embark12.com

Parent & Child Testimonials Furnished Upon Request
Academic Experts Available for Interviews
Products Demos In-Person & via Webcast by Appointment

About K12 Inc.

K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) is leading the transformation to individualized learning as the nation's foremost provider of technology-powered proprietary online solutions for students in pre-kindergarten through high school. K12 has worked with more than 2,000 school districts and has delivered more than four million courses over the past decade. K12 provides curricula, academic services, and learning solutions to public schools and districts, traditional classrooms, blended school programs, and families. K12's curriculum is rooted in decades of research combined with 21st-century technology by cognitive scientists, interactive designers, and teachers. K12's portfolio of more than 550 unique courses and titles -- the most extensive in the technology-based education industry -- covers every core subject and four academic levels for high school including Honors and AP. K12 offers credit recovery courses, career-building electives, remediation support, six world languages, and a deep STEM offering. The K12 program is offered through K12 partner public schools in more than two-thirds of the states and the District of Columbia, and through private schools serving students in all 50 states and 85 countries. More information can be found at K12.com.

© 2013 K12 Inc. K12 is a registered trademark, and EmbarK12 and the K12 logo is are trademarks of K12 Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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CONTACT: K12 Inc
         Regina Lewis
         press@k12.com
         703 728 0327