Students from The Children's Center of Austin Learned About Safety and Gave Hope to Children Battling Cancer Through Trike-A-Thon, Benefiting St. Jude

Online, May 4, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Austin, Texas (May 4, 2010) - The Children's Center of Austin, a preschool and educational childcare facility, participated in the St. Jude Trike-A-Thon program and raised over $1,500 to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®, the premier center for the research and treatment of childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

More than 200 students from The Children's Center of Austin participated in this fun, week-long program while learning riding-toy safety lessons and raising money for St. Jude. The week ended with the participants bringing their trikes and riding-toys to school and practicing the rules they learned. The Children's Center of Austin community sponsored participants by pledging an amount-per-lap the children rode or a one-time donation.

"We so enjoy seeing the children get excited about learning to care for themselves and others," said Therese Thompson, owner of The Children's Center of Austin. "The St. Jude Trike-A-Thon also gives our schools the opportunity to help children who are battling cancer."

Upon completion of the St. Jude Trike-A-Thon, the students won prizes ranging from Trike-A-Thon T-shirts to Bikewell Bear or Pedals the Bunny plush toys.

For more information on how to host a Trike-A-Thon event, call 1-800-BIKE (2453) or visit www.stjude.org/trike.

About The Children's Center of Austin

The Children's Center of Austin is Austin's finest preschool and educational childcare facility committed to providing top quality care, education and extracurricular activities to children from infancy through pre-kindergarten, as well as after school care for kindergarten through fifth grade and summer camps for children ages five through eight. The organization prepares children for success in kindergarten through programs designed with age appropriate activities, focused on the developmental learning and social skill growth of each child. Family owned and operated in Central Texas since 1970, The Children's Center of Austin is a family-focused operation with an open door policy and a commitment to work closely with parents for the welfare of the whole family. With one of the lowest child to teacher ratios in Austin, The Children's Center of Austin's in-house developed curriculum is tailored to meet each child's individual development needs. Class size is the most important factor in education quality; therefore The Children's Center of Austin keeps pre-kindergarten class sizes four to six students smaller than most preschools. The Children's Center of Austin offers learning activities with separate classrooms and areas for art, gym, library and reading, computers, Spanish and a highly monitored and secure swimming pool. With curriculum designed to stimulate learning and promote social skills, children rotate through rooms and activities so are not confined to one room all day. Additionally, The Children's Center of Austin is the only preschool offering twice monthly field trips or in-house activities throughout the school year and daily field trips during its summer camp session. The Children's Center of Austin places strong emphasis on teacher training, providing its staff with opportunities for professional growth and development, including in-house training and participation in curriculum planning.

The Children's Center of Austin currently serves the Austin, Texas area with locations in Bee Caves, Jester and Steiner Ranch. Visit The Children's Center of Austin at www.childrenscenterofaustin.com.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family's inability to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. For more information, please visit www.stjude.org.