Parents Magazine Names The Little Gym #1 for Children's Birthday Parties

Recently, Parents Magazine surveyed over 40 national chain birthday party packages to assess which offer the most entertaining, unique and personalized experience at an affordable price. The Little Gym landed on top with the #1 ranking! Here is the press release we sent out to the local news media last month.

Parents Magazine Names The Little Gym #1 for Children's Birthday Parties

The Little Gym of Lake Oswego owner applauds parent company's recognition

Lake Oswego, OR (Grassroots Newswire) April 21, 2010 – Parents magazine just announced that The Little Gym has been named the #1 Birthday Party destination for children. The Little Gym of Lake Oswego Owner Ron Skoletsky is extremely proud to have received this distinction.

"This recognition reflects just how unique our birthday parties are for children – and also how memorable and stress-free they are for parents," Skoletsky said. "Awesome Birthday Bash parties, as we call them, involve games, music and fun activities led by trained, cheerful and child-friendly staff. We take care of almost everything! Nothing captures the magic of childhood better than a birthday party, and we enjoy making birthdays a magical milestone for the kids."

While most parents are no longer planning expensive, over-the-top birthday bashes because of the effects of the economy, they still want to make sure their child has a fun and memorable celebration, according to Parents magazine. The publication surveyed birthday party packages offered by national chains to assess which offer the most entertaining, unique and personalized experience at an affordable price.

"Our May issue is devoted to birthday parties and we wanted to find out which party chains not only throw fun birthdays that kids will love, but offer affordable packages that will make parents happy," says Dana Points, editor-in-chief of Parents. "We examined more than 40 popular party spots to bring readers the 10 best ones."

While researching national birthday chains, Parents magazine looked at what each place provided with regards to fun, games and food, as well as extra incentives such as invitations, party ware and goody bag favor offerings. In addition, the availability of instructors, personalization level, and party room size were also taken into consideration.

"Our primary focus is building confidence in children by helping them develop physical skills. So it is even more exciting to be recognized for the creativity and imagination that we put into our weekend birthday parties," said Paul Dickison of The Little Gym International.

"There are several factors that we believe draw parents to our birthday parties," Skoletsky added. "Our unique and proprietary music and curriculum are specially personalized to cater to each child's age, gender, and interests. And, unlike facilities where multiple parties occur at the same time, each birthday booking reserves the entire facility."

The Little Gym locations, including The Little Gym of Lake Oswego, make birthday parties a stress-free event for parents, as they take care of set up and clean up for the parties, provide party ware and even send out invitations to guests, "Our staff is well-trained to bring out the very best in children, which helps to make each birthday experience memorable and magical," Skoletsky said.

The first hour of the birthday party is spent in the gym engaged in age-appropriate instructor-led games and activities. The final half hour of the celebration is spent in the gym's special party room where children enjoy cake and drinks and open presents. The Little Gym provides drinks for the children, all paper goods, balloons for decoration and a list of opened gifts for thank you cards. The birthday child even gets a special The Little Gym T-shirt.

Aside from its Awesome Birthday Bash parties, The Little Gym also offers classes for children from four months of age to 12 years that range from parent/child classes in early motor skill development to grade school gymnastics, sports skills development, karate, cheerleading and dance. These programs are built on a structured curriculum where kids progressively build skills, leading to enhanced self-confidence and socialization.

For more information about Parents magazine's 10 Best Birthday Party Chains, visit: www.parents.com/fun/birthdays/ideas/top-10-birthday-chains-for-kid-birthday-parties/.

For more information about The Little Gym of Lake Oswego and its Awesome Birthday Bach parties, please contact Ron Skoletsky at 503-595-9702 or visit http://www.tlglakeoswegoor.com/.

About The Little Gym

The Little Gym is the premier developer of physical skills in children worldwide. The very first location was established in 1976 by Robin Wes, an innovative educator with a genuine love for children. The Little Gym International, Inc., headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., was formed in 1992 to franchise The Little Gym concept. Today, The Little Gym International has more than 300 locations in 21 countries. For more information, visit The Little Gym at http://www.thelittlegym.com/.