Home: CKN-USA.org

For Children Only
   • Moozie.com

Classroom Materials
   • Kindness Curriculum Kit
   • Moozie Puppet
   • Moozie's Kind Adventure
   • Curriculum
   • Purchase Materials

Live Programs
   • Video: Moozie Presentations
   • Moozie Presentation
   • Kindness Symphony
   • Teacher Workshops
   • Parent Workshops

About Children's Kindness Network
   • Our Mission
   • Our Ambassodor — Moozie the Cow
   • Our Goals
   • Our Needs
   • The CKN Story
   • A Message from Executive Director

CKN in the News
   • The Mannerly Cow
   • Dreier Takes Cows Across ...
   • Moozie Helps Kids with ...
   • Promoting Kindness with ...

Importance of the CKN Mission
   • Why Focus on Pre-K Education
   • Kindness Education (social-emotional)
   • Research Shows How Vital ...

Building a Culture of Kindness
   • Kind to Others
   • Kind to Earth
   • Kind to Animals
   • Kind to Self

Make a Difference
   • Make a Donation
   • Volunteer
   • Past Business Donors

Contact CKN

   

   

About Children’s Kindness Network

Mission Statement

Building a Culture of Kindness — Beginning with Pre-K.

The Children's Kindness Network (CKN) has brought new programs and materials on kindness to help busy preschool teachers. Bringing kindness teaching to at-risk children is especially critical in their early brain wiring — some middle TN counties have 64% of their 4-year-olds considered economically at risk putting many low income, minority children behind in brain development. Social emotional learning, kindness, effects cognitive learning as well.

1. CKN is receiving great feedback by preschool teachers on a new easy-to-use preschool kindness curriculum teaching kit. To make it easy for the teachers, in addition to a very detailed curriculum book, there are numerous kindness teaching aids and all supplies needed for 22 students. A front page article about this curriculum kit and CKN was written up in The Tennessean -- Williamson A.M., April 3, 2007.

2. Over 30,000 children heard Moozies message, in NC, TN, CA

3. CKN's programs and materials distribution was expanded with a retail arm of Moozie products, called Moozie Teaches Kindness Inc. MTK in February, 2007. MTK has already made a significant difference in awareness of CKN's programs and materials.

4. CKN's ambassador of kindness, Moozie the cow, was the attention-getting-photo for for an editorial in The Tenessean, May 15, 2007 editorial, "Early childhood program deserves full congressional support"

Our Ambassodor — Moozie the Cow

(Photos courtesy Franklin Head Start - Franklin, TN)

Moozie is a robotic cow, strong and durable. She comes with a series of pre-programmed messages and songs that coordinate with her life-like movements. From a keypad, her operator can select the desired program. (Kindness presentations are age-appropriate and can be tailored to fit Moozie's surroundings-a preschool or a church or a hospital, for example.) Programs can take 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the amount of discussion the leader wishes to include beyond the scope of Moozie's programmed message.

Moozie, with fence, requires a 7 x 7-foot stall space. She's ready to take up residence in classrooms, libraries, or lobbies. Here's how she looks at home in a Children's Kindness Center - Loma Vista farm in Vallejo, California.

Moozie's Children's Kindness Center is located at the Loma Vista Teaching Farm in Vallejo, California.

The first Moozie's Children's Kindness Center was opened on September 28, 2002. Over 20,000 children visit me every year at this three-acre teaching farm.

To explore the possibilities of having a Moozie for your own Kindness Center, please contact Tom at Tom@Moozie.com.

Visit www.moozie.com

Goals for CKN

1. Provide materials on kindness for 100 classroms of at-risk preschool children. Download Curriculum: http://www.ckn-usa.org/documents/moozie-curriculum-flyer.pdf

2. Provide at least 50 programs of kindness for at risk children with Moozie the robotic talking cow.

3. Develop and provide three one-day training sessions for preschool teachers on teaching kindness.

4. Update the CKN web site to better explain the impact of CKN's kindness mission using informative video down loads

Needs Statement

1. $24,500 to provide kindness learning kits for 100 classrooms, 2,200 students. See Moozie Teaches Kindness Classroom Kit

2. $10,000 to provide live Moozie presentations.

3. $ 14,000 for development of teacher training curriculum and supplies for teaching kindness.

4. $9000 to update the CKN web site with speaking and video downloads. Any size donation to the above is very appreciated.

Our Story and Background Statement

What was launched by Moozie the talking robotic cow, has now become a nonprofit dedicated to teaching children about kindness. Moozie started as a simple garage project for founder Ted Dreier, who grew up on a dairy farm. But, when it was discovered that the children loved Moozie, that they paid close attention to what she was saying about kindness, and remembered what she said, Moozie became more than a garage project. Seeing the impact that Moozie had on children, Ted stepped back from his corporate life as a public speaker and decide at age 60, (1998), to start "paying rent for being on the planet". CKN was formed with Moozie the cow becoming the mascot and ambassador of kindness for teaching kindness. With the launching of CKN in 1998, additional Moozie kindness supporting materials have been developed for teaching kindness in the classroom.

1. A special Moozie Kindness Curriculum for preschool which was developed by Judy Herr, Ed.D, international consultant and author, in conjunction with a team of educators

2. Moozie's Kind Adventure book, an easy to read book, given an excellent review by the American Library Journal

3. A lovable, soft hand puppet that reminds children of the big robotic Moozie and is used in teaching kindness.

4. A special 20 lesson Kindness Learning Kit with a detailed curriculum guide, a Moozie puppet, a CD with songs by nationally known educator, Phd. Thomas Moore and all the supplies needed for a classroom of 22 children.

5. Moozie's web site www.moozie.com with special kindness games and free downloads. Children from classrooms across the US, and the world, have visited the web site and written Moozie how they are kind. Most recently, in 2007, a retail arm of CKN was established called Moozie Teaches Kindness Inc.,(MTK). This for profit operation was financed by angel investors with a operating plan having a percentage of profits going to CKN. Also, MTK's management gives another layer of longevity to CKN. Even with limited funds, CKN has been able to have significant out reach across the country. Since all administrative costs are/ have been donated, 100% of all donations going directly to specific projects.

Statement from Executive Director & Founder — Ted Dreier

As founder and executive director of The Chidren's Kindness Network (CKN), I know we are having a positive impact on preschool children. With Gov. Bredesen's current initative of expanding the state's pre-kindergarten program, CKN's preschool focus is very timely. Gov. Bredeson recognizes that for every dollar spent, there is a $3-$17 benefit to society.

The social/emotional impact of kindness teaching is a very important part of cognitive learning in preschool. When children show more kindness behavior and respect, it is easier for the teacher to teach. Our mascot and ambassador of kindness, Moozie the cow, is loveable and impactful. Children love Moozie and they try to please her. Parents tell the teachers how their children are telling them about Moozie and how kindness makes Moozie happy. One Head Start parent told of their five year old daugher telling their seven year old son, when the son had said something that wasn't kind, "Moozie wouldn't like it that you said that".

Teachers who have taught other character development programs have said that they see more behavior change with the Moozie kindness curricullum than with others they have used. Children love the cow image. Guess it was lucky that I grew up on dairy farm and not a goat farm.

Based on past experiences with at risk children, there is no doubt that the Moozie Icon has a significant impact on these children. This year in Charlotte, NC, Moozie Robotic cow presentations were given to over 2600 preschool children, with over 1000 of them being 4 year olds at risk. Teachers saw Moozie with her message making a difference.

2007 has been a significant year for me and the longevity of CKN. As the founder, who has put a lot of money and time in CKN, launching MTK was very important. The President of MTK, Tom Easton, and his wife Mary, have the same passion for CKN and Moozie that my wife and I have and would manage CKN if I was no longer able.