Free community event celebrates modern-day childhood heroes with research showing bravery, strength and kindness as heroic traits

BALTIMORE, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kiddie Academy^® Educational Child Care franchise locations nationwide will host “Hero Play Day,” a free hands-on community event designed to help children recognize and celebrate their personal heroes. A recent Kiddie Academy Educational Childcare survey finds that kids look up to parents (71%), teachers (40%), siblings (37%), extended family members (33%) and even friends (31%) as role models. What’s more, kids aren’t selecting their heroes because of their super speed or flawless ways. Traits like bravery (38%), strength (37%), kindness (37%) and honesty (31%) outrank superficial heroic traits. Hero Play Day will take place at Kiddie Academy locations across the country from July through September on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/kiddie-academy/9404851-en-kiddie-academy-launches-hero-play-day-locations-nationwide

“It’s important for children to see positive attributes modeled by people in their lives,” said Joy Turner, chief academic officer for the Kiddie Academy brand. “Even fictional characters can manifest the character traits that we teach in our Life Essentials^® curriculum.”

Developed for a variety of learning styles, Life Essentials focuses on the developmental milestone-producing outcomes designed to help prepare children for life: Character, Confidence, Curiosity, Connection, Critical Thinking and Creative Expression.

The new Hero Play Day event will be an opportunity for children to dress up as their favorite superhero. Stations for “training” will be set up around the Academy, including obstacle courses, strength tests and kindness missions.

Kiddie Academy survey findings indicate parents are intentionally cultivating heroic qualities in their children by allowing them to explore their own interests (55%) and practice patience in stressful situations (52%). They’re also teaching their kids to set healthy boundaries (51%), show kindness to strangers (50%) and follow their dreams (50%).

“According to our research, 82% of children whose parents were polled want to be considered a hero someday, which means parents’ hard work may be paying off,” added Turner. “It’s important to allow children to find themselves and have role models who support their dreams and the qualities they most want to embody.”

To find and register for Hero Play Day at a participating Academy location, parents and families may visit kiddieacademy.com/academies/event/hero-play-day/. The event for infants to 12-year-olds is free and open to the public.

Survey methodology: Kiddie Academy surveyed 2,000 parents of kids ages 4 to 12 who have access to the internet; the survey was administered and conducted online by a third-party research firm on behalf of Kiddie Academy between May 21 and May 28, 2026.

About Kiddie Academy^®
Since its inception in 1981, the Kiddie Academy system has been recognized as a leading brand in educational child care. The company, headquartered in Maryland, serves families and their children ages 6 weeks to 12 years old, offering full- and part-time care, before- and after-school care, and summer camp programs, through the Kiddie Academy system. The Kiddie Academy brand’s proprietary Life Essentials^® Curriculum, supporting programs, methods, activities, and techniques help prepare children for life. The company’s philanthropic efforts, including support of national nonprofit Family Promise and multiyear sponsorship of John Hopkins Community Center, take character education lessons learned in the classroom beyond Academy walls. Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, LLC has also received corporate accreditation from the globally recognized Cognia accreditation system, signifying its commitment to quality education and the highest standards in child care. For more information, visit kiddieacademy.com or find Kiddie Academy on Facebook at Facebook.com/KiddieAcademy.

About Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, LLC
Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, LLC is based in Abingdon, Md. There are currently more than 375 open Academies in the Kiddie Academy system, located in 40 states and Washington, D.C., serving nearly 40,000 children. Each franchised location in the Kiddie Academy system is an independently owned and operated business. For more information, visit franchising.kiddieacademy.com.

Media Contact:
Samantha Terwilliger
sterwilliger@tombras.com
865.230.3408

 

 

 

 

 

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SOURCE Kiddie Academy