Louisville, KY (Feb. 12, 2014) — In a tale as old as time, the evening comes to a bustling end as mom or dad catches a glance at the clock and asks in disbelief, “Where did the day go!?” To get right to the bottom of it, the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) tapped Harris Poll in October 2013 to conduct an online survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults* to investigate how families spend their days together. And while they definitely can’t create more time for parents, today NCFL and Toyota announce the Family Time Machine, a website and mobile app to help parents and kids make better use of every moment in the day.
 
In their survey, NCFL found:

• The average amount of time parents spend with their children each day is 8.6 hours
  • Even working parents (employed full-time, part-time or self-employed) spend an average of almost seven hours (6.7) each day with their kids
• Close to 2 in 5 (37%) parents aren’t comfortable helping their children learn outside the classroom
• More than half (53%) of parents wish they knew how to make better use of the time they have with their children
   

Inspired by the study’s findings, Family Time Machine
Tailored activities include:

• Morning time Toothbrush Jams and Step-a-thon
• Drive time Stoplight Stories and  Tree Hunt
• Meal time Dinner Geometry and Food Architecture
• Bed time Math Hands and Giggle Time

“Learning is no longer confined to a classroom, or a textbook,” said Emily Kirkpatrick, vice president of NCFL. “Children need to learn in ways that are relevant to real-life situations, and our recent study shows us that parents are open to inspiration. The Family Time Machine will help parents seize learning opportunities in everyday and every moment.”
 
Led by NCFL and funded by Toyota, Family Time Machine is a part of Toyota Family Learning, a six-year program that features modern-day solutions to educational challenges—including innovative mobile learning tools and funding for groundbreaking community work. The program strives to create new models for learning by expanding family literacy beyond the classroom and into homes and communities.
 
Key elements of Toyota Family Learning include:

• Family Time Machine, a new website community inspiring families across the nation to learn, interact, and thrive together
• Grants for communities to fund new family mentor programs and service learning programs targeting vulnerable families
• Online resources, such as Wonderopolis.org

 
“Family Time Machine exemplifies Toyota’s commitment to supporting programs that help families learn together by transforming everyday moments into ones of great learning potential,” said Mike Goss, vice president of external affairs for Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. “Literacy is critically important in maintaining a competitive workforce, so we’re especially pleased to build upon our longtime relationship with NCFL through the Toyota Family Learning initiative.”

A Longtime Learning Alliance
Over the 22 years of their progressive partnership, NCFL has fostered exemplary learning programs across the country with Toyota's generous support—256 family literacy sites in 50 cities and 30 states to date. The partnership has helped more than one million families make positive educational gains that have resulted in academic and economic success for parents and their children.
 
Additional Information

• Full Family Learning Report available here
• Follow the adventures on Twitter at @FamTimeMachine
• Show us  your own learning moments on Instagram #FamilyTimeMachine