Sprout Launches Second Annual Kindest Kid Contest

This fall, Sprout® and TODAY will celebrate thoughtful acts by kids across the country with the return of the Kindest Kid Contest. Whether lending a helping hand to a neighbor, teaching a YOUNGER sibling a new skill, caring for the family pet or finding creative ways to recycle, Sprout and TODAY believe kindness comes in all shapes and sizes, and are on THE HUNT for the child who best embodies everyday acts of kindness to be named Sprout's Chief Kindness Officer for 2015.

Sprout launched the Kindness Counts initiative in 2011 to encourage and celebrate everyday thoughtful acts, serving as a tool for parents to reinforce kindness and compassion among their children. In 2013, Sprout named seven-year-old Emma Lock from Tucson, Arizona the winner of its inaugural "Kindest Kid Contest" for creating Lock Boxes of Love - care packages for siblings of sick children around the world. Beginning on September 3, 2014, Sprout invites families to show why their child deserves the title by going towww.SproutOnline.com/kindestkid or www.today.com to enter the contest.

"Empathy in preschoolers is so essential, and Sprout wanted to create a tool for parents to help build this critical skill while celebrating kind acts both large and small," said Sandy Wax, President of Sprout. "We hear from parents every day about all of the good deeds kids are doing- we celebrate this daily on our air, and the Kindest Kid CONTEST is a great way to spotlight the extraordinary things that children are doing."

Submissions for the Kindest Kid CONTEST will be accepted from Wednesday, September 3, 2014 at 6 a.m. until Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. ET. To enter, families can visit www.SproutOnline.com/kindestkid orwww.today.com and upload a photo and brief description of how their child has been kind to themselves, others, the Earth or animals, or any other positive everyday act of kindness.

Five finalists will be announced on TODAY the week of November 10, 2014. In addition, Sprout will celebrate the five finalists with its Kindest Kid Countdown on November 29, 2014. The general public can go online to vote for Sprout's "Kindest Kid" beginning on November 14, 2014 thru December 3, 2014. The winner will be unveiled on TODAY the week of December 8, 2014. For each vote received, Sprout will donate $1 up to $25,000 to a national children's charity. Additionally, Sprout will make a $5,000 donation to a national children's charity in the winner's name. Promotional partnership for the Kindest Kid CONTEST is furnished by Mattel.

The winner of the Kindest Kid CONTEST will visit Sprout's headquarters in New York City to serve as Sprout's honorary "Chief Kindness Officer" for a day. The Kindest Kid will also be invited to visit the Sunshine Barn, meet Chica and the hosts of The Sunny Side Up Show, and record segments about kindness which will air in 2015 and be featured on www.SproutOnline.com. Promotional partnership for the Kindest Kid CONTEST is furnished by Mattel.

Sprout supports kindness throughout the year with the Kindness Counter atwww.SproutOnline.com and other tools such as "My Kindness Counter," "Helping Out Coupons" and the "Kindness Spotlight." Additionally, the network highlights kind deeds each morning during The Sunny Side Up Show with Good Egg Awards, which are given to preschoolers who do something positive to help out their family, the community or the Earth, and airs kindness episodes of Sprout favorites during Valentine's week.

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