During the Vendée Globe race, tens of thousands of people worldwide follow brave sailors (or skippers) as they navigate treacherous seas, outlast fierce storms and battle fatigue to reach their ultimate goal. Students in FasTracKids centers have been paying attention to one skipper in particular, and his name is Rich Wilson.

Why is music so important to us from a brain development and lifelong learning perspective? Our partners at Kindermusik® share their research and stories about the ability for music to transform us.

70% of the Earth’s surface is water. And though our planet’s oceans are vast, the smallest change can affect the entire ecosystem. World Oceans Day reminds us, and future generations, how we can change it for the better.

School vacation is a favorite time of the year for kids, but is often the most stressful time of the year for parents. As children look forward to sleeping in and long days of relaxation, parents are left wondering how to keep children engaged and active during this unstructured time of the year.

There is a great big galaxy out there, home to infinite planets, moons, and stars. This cosmic playground we call outer space, or space for short, provides endless opportunities to support children as they explore and learn about their environment far from Earth.

As the world continues to reinvent what we have thought to be true for tens of hundreds of years, our strongest beliefs regarding children’s education are changing as well. We have computers and the Internet, educational television, endless out of school activities and enrichment programs. However, the one aspect of our children’s education that hasn’t changed is the long break from school. Some countries schedule a break in between grade levels (sometimes up to 3 months long) and some have a few breaks scheduled throughout the year.

Leonardo da Vinci is still considered to be one of the world’s greatest thinkers and an unparalleled genius. That is why FasTracKids refers to his principles when describing what our programs can do for a child.

Developing leadership skills in young children is one of the most important educational outcomes that all FasTracKids programs achieve. One way to develop leadership is through the cultivation of confidence.

Many times, a child’s creativity is defined by simplistic activities, such as painting or playing with clay.