The creator of an award-winning children’s educational video collection announced earlier this month he plans to give the DVDs to Dawson County children free of charge.

“I love helping kids. That’s what this offer is really about,” said Dennis Fedoruk, president and chief executive officer of The Brainy Baby Company based in Suwanee.

Fedoruk will begin giving away sets of the early childhood educational DVDs to local families beginning June 1.

A mentor at Kilough Elementary School who moved to Dawson County about two years ago, Fedoruk said what better way to give back to the community than to promote learning among the county’s youth.

“What better place to start than your very own backyard,” he said.

The fun and interactive DVDs, which include live-action scenes of real children and objects found in everyday life, are designed for infants and preschool children to increase the child’s early learning advantage.

“In the shapes DVD, we use objects the kids see everyday to teach them. A dinner plate is a circle, a slice of pizza is a triangle,” Fedoruk said.

DVDs in the free promotion include Laugh & Learn for infants, Shapes & Colors and ABC’s for preschool aged children and music enrichment. 

“Our products have been out for over 10 years and we consistently hear from parents that their kids are learning at an early age,” Fedoruk said. “It’s all about teach and repeat, teach and repeat, and then review. That’s how children learn.

The videos emulate that teaching method.”

Laura Crews began using the DVDs in a pilot program last September in her Pre-K class at Kilough. 

“The kids just love them. The videos hold their attention and relate to things they know,” she said. “The kids are enraptured by them.”

Crews’ own children are also big fans of The Brainy Baby DVD collection. “At home, the video on sign language could even keep the attention of my 8-year old,” she said.

The Brainy Baby also plans to give DVDs to the local library, daycare centers and preschools throughout the county as part of the initiative to supplement early learning.

Incoming superintendent for Dawson County schools Keith Porter is encouraged by the videos.

“In my discussions with Mr. Fedoruk and through my review, the videos do appear to have merit, especially at the Pre-K level. The kids are real attentive to the interactive nature of the videos,” he said.

“We’re very appreciative he’s making these available to the kids and offering them to our school system to use,” Porter added.

Dawson County residents wishing to receive the DVDs for their children can sign up at www.myfreebrainybaby.com. There will be a small shipping charge of about $5, Fedoruk said.

Lollipop Toy Store, located at 130 Industrial Park Road in Dawsonville, also has a limited amount of the free videos for county residents to pick up beginning June 1.

E-mail Michele Hester at michele@dawsonnews.com.