Kids' Social Networking Site SKID-e-KIDS Sponsors Georgia Association Of Educators' Spelling Bee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) March 12, 2010 -- Atlanta -- SKID-e-KIDS.com, an Alpharetta-based non-profit organization that operates a free social networking website for children, is sponsoring the Georgia Association of Educators' (GAE) 48th Annual Spelling Bee at 11 a.m., Friday, March 19, 2010 at Georgia State University.

SKID-e-KIDS will donate cash prizes of $50 to each student who participates in the spelling bee. The runner up will receive an additional $500 and the winner will receive an additional $1,000 from SKID-e-KIDS.

“When kids are participating in athletics, they are rewarded in ways that make them stand out,” said Brandon Mychals of SKID-e-KIDS. “We thought that academics should be as rewarding as athletics because of the work that the children put into it. Athletics shouldn't overshadow academics. We feel like when you are functioning at an extraordinary level in academics, you should be rewarded as well, just as athletics. Let these kids get the spotlight so that other kids can see what can happen to them if they work hard.”

Nearly 200 children from schools around the state of Georgia will participate in the Spelling Bee at GSU's Student Centedr. The winner of the GAE Spelling Bee will go on to represent the state of Georgia as part of Scripps' National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in May.

The GAE is a non-profit association for teachers, administrators and educational personnel in Georgia's public schools. It is an affiliate of the National Educational Association.

SKID-e-KIDS has teamed up with a variety of educational institutions, including Forsyth County Schools, the Georgia Department of Education, the GAE and Communities in Schools' chapters in Dallas and Atlanta.

"The reason why educators, parents and children are all falling in love with SKID-e-KIDS is because we've found a systematic way to combine safety, education, games and fun under one cyber forum," said Camille James, vice president of development at SKID-e-KIDS. "We all have kids and we all understand how important it is, to not just say no to Facebook, but to give children safe, educational alternatives."

SKID-e-KIDS.com allows children to do everything other social networking sites do, but it is safer and designed just for them. With parental permission, children can create profiles, connect with friends, start groups, watch videos and play online games.

SKID-e-KIDS' main focus is education: It features cartoon avatars that encourage children to learn; filtered chats and live moderators; SKID-e TV and a news site for youand a news site for young children; and educational activities such as tutorials, worksheets and games.

The site also features a toy swap, which allows children to sell trade and buy toys with online auctions. SKID-e-KIDS is an acronym for Super Kids In Development Enjoying Kindled Interest In Driving Success. It has more than 30,000 members and 1 million visitors.

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