Education & Training Awards 2024 | 7 of industry experience. Each team member is the manager of their own department, and as CEO, Charlene does not micromanage them. Instead, they collaborate and make decisions together. Each has their own specific talent that drives Zoo-phonics, but they all share the same incredible dedication towards the organisation. Zoo-phonics was established almost four decades ago by three women: Charlene, Gigi, and their dear friend, artist Irene Clark. Unfortunately, both Gigi and Irene have since passed on, but their legacy lives within the remarkable work undertaken by Zoo-phonics. Many members of the team, such as the Director of National Sales and Events, Director of Publishing, CFO, and Graphic Artist have all been with Zoo-phonics for over twenty years. Charlene cites the reason for such longevity as high levels of job satisfaction, a tension-free workspace, a feeling of autonomy, closeness within the company, and the knowledge that they are doing something of value to shape the educational system. Retaining this all-star team of individuals dedicated to helping children improve their literacy has put Zoo-phonics in an advantageous position. From the very beginning, the team envisioned opening a preschool, in which Zoophonics’ methods and curricula could be utilised. In 2007, the organisation opened its first preschool to teach children aged 18 months through five years old. “Parents begged us to add a kindergarten and first grade class – so we did,” recalls Charlene. “We had so many children on the waitlist, we realised we needed a bigger facility. We purchased land and built a huge school with multiple playgrounds for the various ages. In 2023, we purchased another building in another town, and have been in the remodelling and organising stage. We plan to open mid-August of this year. It really is a daily joy to see the learning and personal growth of each child!” The team at Zoo-phonics aims to continue delivering exceptional educational tools to children, both at its two preschools and globally. Since its inception, the organisation has provided wonderful educational products, all based on the animal letters, alliterative names, and body movement. This product line is added to yearly, to ensure that teachings remain current. Two years ago, Charlene had the idea to create educational products that were directly related to the classroom routine for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners. As most curriculum is an isolated component in the day, Charlene wanted Zoo-phonics to connect directly to the teaching of all subjects, such as the weather, calendars, learning to line up, brush teeth, and clean up. Charlene wrote songs for all these themes, even creating instrumental music for exercise and naps, and background music for playing and learning. Most recently, Charlene has written and sang a song called, “We Are All Great!”. The song was initially translated into Spanish, and has since been translated into South Korean, Swahili, Hindi, and German, with plans for Dutch, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, and Italian. “I told my staff that I didn’t want to make a profit from this song or sing-along video,” she says. “I, instead, want to give it away to every child, parent, and teacher. And we have. We want this song to travel around the world to give children the message that we are all great. We live in world where poor adult choices hurt children. We’d like to change that, even in a small way, as we teach them to read, spell, and write!” Since its inception, Zoo-phonics has been steadfast in its commitment to enhancing the literacy journey of children all around the world. The organisation has made commendable endeavours to decreasing the literacy gap between children, and proving that each child can read, when presented with the right tools and support. It is for this dedication, and the incredible work undertaken by the team, that Zoo-phonics has deservedly been recognised as the Most Innovative Early Literacy Programme 2024 – USA. Contact: Charlene Wrighton Company: Zoo-phonics Mnemonic and Multisensory Language Arts Program Web Address: https://zoo-phonics.com Director of National Sales & Events, Charmaine Erwin Director of Publishing & Graphic Artist, Matthew Anderson Chief Financial Officer, Althea Ahrens Director of Marketing, Gina Perkins
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