Mother and daughter hug at the neighborhood park cleanup event

How Does Children of America Give Back to the Families It Serves?

How the Pryor Family Foundation Extends COA’s Mission Beyond the Classroom

Children of America has been serving working families since 1997. For more than 35 years, our schools have provided children with safe, high-quality early childhood education while giving parents the confidence that their child is in the right place. But what happens when an unexpected crisis puts a family’s ability to stay enrolled at risk? That is the question that led to the creation of the Pryor Family Foundation, a nonprofit born directly from the same values that built Children of America, and united by one core mission: No Child Left Behind.

Who Founded the Pryor Family Foundation and Why?

The Pryor Family Foundation was established in 2024 by Thad Pryor, the founder of Children of America. After more than three decades in early childhood education, Thad had seen firsthand what happens when a family experiences an unexpected crisis and suddenly cannot keep their child enrolled in school.

A job loss. A medical emergency. A natural disaster. These are not rare events. They happen to real families every day, and when they do, a child’s education is often one of the first things interrupted. That interruption can alter a child’s trajectory in ways that are difficult to undo.

The foundation was created to make sure that moment of crisis does not become a permanent detour in a child’s life.

What Is the Mission of the Pryor Family Foundation?

The Pryor Family Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit built on a single, unwavering mission: No Child Left Behind. It exists to support children and families who experience adversity, recognizing that an unexpected tragedy can derail a child’s education and development indefinitely if the right support is not there to catch them.

The foundation does not offer general tuition assistance. Instead, it provides targeted support precisely when families need it most, focused on specific crises rather than ongoing subsidies. The goal is not just to offer immediate relief but to build lasting resilience within communities so that families can weather future challenges without pulling their children out of the educational environments that are shaping their futures.

How Does the Foundation Support Families?

The Pryor Family Foundation operates through three distinct programs, each designed to meet families at a different point in their need.

Rapid Response

When a family is in immediate crisis, waiting for support is not an option. The Rapid Response program provides fast, targeted assistance to families experiencing sudden hardship so that a child’s education does not have to stop while the family works to get back on their feet. Speed and specificity are what make this program meaningful.

Community Programs

Crisis does not affect families in isolation. It ripples through neighborhoods and communities. The foundation’s Community Programs are designed to strengthen the networks around families so that when hardship strikes, there is an ecosystem of support already in place. This is what sustainable impact looks like: not just helping one family through one moment, but building the kind of community resilience that protects children long term.

Grants

The foundation also distributes grants to support broader initiatives aligned with its mission. These grants extend the foundation’s reach beyond individual family crises and into the systemic conditions that make families vulnerable in the first place, reinforcing the long-term vision of a world where no child’s education is derailed by circumstances outside their family’s control.

How Does the Pryor Family Foundation Connect to Children of America?

The Pryor Family Foundation operates in direct partnership with Children of America. They share a founder, a set of values, and a core belief that every child deserves access to a high-quality education regardless of what is happening at home.

This connection means that COA’s commitment to families does not end at the classroom door. When a family in a COA school faces a crisis that threatens their child’s enrollment, the foundation is there as a resource. The two organizations extend the same mission through different but complementary means: COA through education, curriculum, and daily care; the Pryor Family Foundation through compassion, community, and targeted support.

For families choosing a childcare provider, this relationship matters. It means Children of America is not just a school. It is part of a larger network built around the belief that the families we serve deserve support that goes beyond tuition and curriculum.

Why Does This Matter for the Families COA Serves?

Life is unpredictable. Even families who plan carefully can find themselves in a moment of crisis that puts everything at risk, including their child’s education. Knowing that a support system exists specifically to protect that educational continuity gives families a deeper sense of security than any curriculum or facility alone can provide.

The Pryor Family Foundation is one of the reasons Children of America can say with confidence that we are here for the long haul with every family in our community. Not just on the good days, but on the hard ones too. Because No Child Left Behind is not just a mission statement. It is a promise.

What Children of America Offers Every Family

The Pryor Family Foundation is one expression of a broader commitment that runs through everything Children of America does. Inside our schools, that commitment shows up every day through our Mind & Body Matters curriculum, a research-based approach that nurtures intellectual, social-emotional, and physical development through four signature programs:

STAR Curriculum — A structured, thematic academic program that builds foundational knowledge in math, literacy, science, and social studies while encouraging curiosity and confidence

Presidential Fitness Program — Daily movement and exercise routines that develop gross and fine motor skills, balance, coordination, and body awareness through games and skill-building activities

Just Read Program — A character-driven literacy program led by COA mascot Bentley, featuring custom-written books that build listening comprehension, imagination, and a genuine love of reading

Apple A Day Nutrition Program — Family-style meals that teach children healthy food choices, self-help skills, and positive social interactions around the table, building independence and a healthy relationship with food

Every family that chooses Children of America also receives:

Age-appropriate classrooms and learning experiences for infants through school-age children

Social-emotional learning that builds confidence, communication, and positive relationships

Daily physical activity and wellness programming to encourage healthy habits

Nutritious meals and snacks provided throughout the day to support growing minds and bodies

Summer Camp featuring weekly themes, outdoor play, and hands-on projects with the same safety standards as our school-year programs

The backing of the Pryor Family Foundation and its No Child Left Behind mission, which exists to support families in our community through unexpected hardship so a child’s education never has to stop

From the first day of enrollment to the hardest days a family might face, Children of America is built to be there.

Find a Children of America School Near You

If you are looking for a childcare program rooted in genuine care for your family, not just your child’s classroom experience, we invite you to visit a Children of America school near you.

Click the Find A School button in the top right corner of the Children of America website to search for a location near you and schedule a tour. We look forward to welcoming your family into ours.

To learn more about the Pryor Family Foundation and follow its No Child Left Behind mission, visit thepryorfamilyfoundation.org or connect on social: