PUBLIX BABY CLUB GROWS UP

CAROL ANGRISANI

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Publix Super Markets here has broadened the reach of its seven-year-old baby club by creating a program for preschoolers.

Publix Preschool Pals is a new club available for parents who have children aged two through four. Children graduate once they turn five.

Parents receive a quarterly newsletter, coupons and e-mail. Two-year-old members receive an educational activity book, while three- and four-year-olds get a CD-ROM featuring games hosted by Publix's "Preschool Pals" animated characters.

Publix created seven "Pals," including "Henna the Hen," who informs members about how to incorporate nutrition into family meal planning. Other Pals focus on family fundamentals, child safety, education and reading, activities, food safety and crafts. "We've developed a program that will provide relevant information to help deal effectively with the many aspects of parenting a preschooler," Lee Brunson, a Publix spokesman, said in a statement. "Children will learn about nutrition, personal safety, food safety and food groups, all disguised as pure entertainment."

Publix declined to comment further.

Parents can register for free via a new Web site, www.publix.com/preschool, or through the "clubs" section of the Publix site, www.publix.com.

The program is an extension of the Publix Baby Club, launched in 1996 for new parents of children up to age 2. The retailer received numerous consumer requests for a program for children over the age of two.

All information posted on the Web site comes from credible sources, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

According to the retailer, it's the first supermarket chain to offer such a comprehensive program for preschool children.

"For parents, nothing is more important than the health, well-being and development of their children," said Brunson. "We hope Publix Preschool Pals will give parents some great tools to help their children realize their full potential while having fun."