Kids Co.: Quality Child Care in Seattle

Summer 2006
Kids Co. A Tour de Kids Co.
Team Zoka Rides through Kids Co. at TOPS
Four members of Team Zoka, a local bike racing team, made a pit stop at Kids Co. at TOPS recently to talk about bike racing, safety and maintenance. Team ZokaÕs visit was part of a week- long celebration of biking, physical fitness, inclusiveness and community service: Tour de Kids Co.! Ian Mullins, Program Director at TOPS, is a lifelong bicycle fanatic, and a rider with Team Zoka himself. He invited members from his team, which competes all over the state in a variety of races, to come and hang out with the kids to add something special to the week. They arrived in their fancy Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Co. racing garb, along with their trusty bikes. The kids had a great time learning how to change a flat tire and looking at the differences between their own bikes, and those of the bike team. Each of our six Summer Day Camp programs infuses special weekly themes into the regular activities. As a cycling buff, and with the Tour de France in full swing during this same week, Ian chose to have week two of his summer program revolve around biking. "Friday has traditionally been known as ÔWheels DayÕ around here, so we just expanded upon that," noted Ian. "Tour de Kids Co. was a fun way to get kids on their bikes, teach some bike safety skills, focus on physical fitness and raise some money for a couple charities," continued Ian.	The kids measured out a 132 meter biking course around the TOPS school, which the kids traveled around throughout the week. They kept track of how many laps they completed and calculated how many miles (or kilometers) they rode. Funds were raised based on how much the kids rode, and then donated to Mercy Corps and Bike Texas (one of countless organizations working to stabilize life in areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina, in this case, giving away bicycles). The week was a huge success, enjoyed by kids and staff alike. Chances are good that Tour de Kids Co. will return next summer!