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Our Story

The Mission

For more than ten years, the nationally acclaimed pre-K curriculum, The InvestiGator Club®, has produced extraordinary results in thousands of preschool classrooms. Now at last, the very same adventures, music, and enchanting characters are helping families prepare kids for kindergarten.

At Dilly’s Tree House, our goal is to inspire ALL young children to learn and discover through active play and investigation, whether they attend preschool or not. We are thrilled to present the premier family engagement program that empowers little superheroes by building the confidence and skills they need to ensure positive school experiences.

Dilly’s Tree House helps kids develop kindergarten readiness skills, such as vocabulary, numbers, letters, shapes, and colors, but our vision is much greater than that. We focus on growing superheroes because we believe that all children, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances, have within them a unique set of strengths and abilities that can launch them to a lifetime of success. Our mission is to help boys and girls discover and build their own powers.

Watch this video to get an inside look into an InvestiGator Club classroom.

As a special education and kindergarten teacher, Judi was known for her commitment to meeting every child’s unique needs. Her early passion to design innovative learning materials led to her career as the co-founder and CEO of Rainbow Educational Concepts and Robert-Leslie Publishing with her husband and partner, Jamie Coffey. Judi believes that her greatest inspirations come from family life with Jamie and their three amazing daughters, and now the pure joy of life with four young grandchildren. Dilly’s Tree House is grounded in solid scientific research and expertise. But more than that, it is a family project filled with energy and love. The entire Coffey family participates in the creation and testing of Dilly’s Tree House. We strive to deliver the message to children everywhere that they are strong and mighty — indeed they are superheroes that can make their mark in the world.

The materials, practices, and activities in The InvestiGator Club® were proven to significantly improve student learning in independent studies conducted by the Educational Research Institute of America. The research was conducted with over 500 pre-K children in 30 classrooms in 11 states. Download PDFs of the full Efficacy Study and Research Report below.

The Preschool Curriculum Consumer Report published by The National Center of Quality Teaching and Learning (NCQTL) was written to help Head Start programs choose high-quality, research-based, comprehensive preschool curricula. This report gave The InvestiGator Club® the highest possible rating for having solid, high-quality evidence in the following categories: Grounded in Child Development Principles, Well-Designed Learning Activities, and Family Involvement Materials.

 

Research-based activities and components in Dilly’s Tree House give families the tools they need to get kids ready for school by building essential cognitive, social-emotional, creativity, and physical skills.

Dilly’s Tree House was created by moms and educators and tested by kids, parents, grandparents, and teachers.

Rainbow Educational Concepts, co-founded by James and Judith Coffey, has been developing educational products published by major publishers, such as McGraw-Hill, Pearson, National Geographic, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, and others since 1985. Millions of students around the world have learned reading, writing, math, social studies, and science with the highly successful textbooks that Rainbow helped to create.

In 2005, the founders of Rainbow Educational Concepts formed a new company, Robert-Leslie Publishing, to create early learning products grounded in developmentally appropriate practices, scientific research, and standards approved by state education departments and early childhood organizations. Our mission was to create inquiry-based programs that would foster communication and engagement among all the teachers and caregivers in a child’s life.

In 2006, The InvestiGator Club® Prekindergarten Learning System was introduced to pre-K classrooms nationwide. Products now include curricula for birth through kindergarten, which are used in public and private schools, as well as homeschools, special education, bilingual, and faith-based classrooms.

The InvestiGator Club® and Dilly’s Tree House have received numerous prestigious awards. The curriculum has been endorsed and approved for public and private preschools by state departments of education and early childhood organizations nationwide.

Our little superheroes have played hard to help us discover joyful learning activities your child will love. Our entire team is excited about sharing the fun. We are ready to start delivering boxes of happiness to little superheroes everywhere. So from our family to yours — have a Dilly of a Day!

InvestiGator Club® Authors

Beth Alley Wise

Former member of Disney’s creative development team, author of more than 50 books and programs for young children, contributor to 150 highly-acclaimed educational products for LeapFrog, K12, Harcourt, McGraw-Hill, and others. Mom and former early childhood teacher.

Joellyn Cicciarelli

Former editor for Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, contributing writer for Jay Jay the Jet Plane. Author and songwriter of numerous award-winning books, songs, and curriculum materials for young children. Mom and former early childhood teacher.

Advisors and Contributors

Children are naturally inquisitive, open, trusting, energetic, and happy. It is our privilege and duty to be sure these qualities are nurtured and channeled in constructive ways.

– Dr. Sharon Landesman Ramey and Dr. Craig T. Ramey, InvestiGator Club Senior Advisors

Dr. Craig T. Ramey and Dr. Sharon Landesman Ramey

Founding directors of the Georgetown University Center on Health and Education. Conducted longitudinal research with more than 100,000 young children. Published 500 scientific manuscripts and many educational articles and books, including Right from Birth and Going to School, which were the basis of two award-winning public television series. Principal investigators on research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Education, and private foundations

Dr. Timothy Shanahan

Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois at Chicago. Past president of the International Reading Association and inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame. Served on the White House Assembly on Reading, Chair of the National Early Literacy Panel and author of the NELP Report.

Judy L. Harris

Formerly CEO and Director of Carson-Dellosa Publishing, CEO and Director of Smarterville (Hooked on Phonics), President and CEO of Channel One Network, Executive Vice President of Business at PBS, and Senior Vice President and General Manager of Consumer and Educational Products at Discovery Communications. As Vice President of Corporate Development at Binney and Smith, responsible for extending the Crayola brand; created and developed educational and media resources for parents and children.

Ellen Galinsky

President and Co-Founder of Families and Work Institute and a past president of NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children). Author of best-selling book, Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs, which is included in the InvestiGator Club® comprehensive prekindergarten learning system.

What’s the buzz?

Dilly’s Tree House is honored to be the recipient of three new awards in 2015 — Teacher’s Choice for the Family, Creative Child Media of the Year, and AAP PreK-12 Learning REVERE Award.

  • The excitement began as soon as we received the box. I mean what kids don’t love getting mail. The girls helped me open it up and immediately wanted to start exploring its’ contents

    Dani W.
    Mom of three girls

  • Another reason to love Dilly’s Tree House is that it is designed to be used for about 10-15 minutes, three times a week. In that time you will cover readiness skills in literacy, oral language, social studies, STEM, music, art, and physical and social-emotional development. You will literally be covering all the bases!

    Dani W.
    Mom of three girls

  • After completing just one activity from our first Dilly’s Tree House learning system, I felt great that my son learned, had fun and bonded with me. Just one box is sure to provide at least a month’s worth of activities that will teach and excite Ethan.

    Candace W.
    Mom of two boys

  • “This kit lets you and your child work together to think and get creative. It also makes you feel like you are ‘in the story’ with the characters.”

    Shelly D.
    Mom of 4-year-old girl and 1-year-old boy

  • “Great for preschool kids to start thinking outside the box with cute characters and fun activities!”

    Jackie G-F
    Mom of 2 girls, ages 4 and 6

  • “I like the face to face learning — this you can do and actually interact with your child — it also gives good ideas because I feel if you are not a teacher sometimes it is hard to come up with creative ways to teach your children.”

    Kristine W.
    Mom of 2 boys (ages 4 and 6) and a 2-year-old girl

  • “We like to play outside and go for walks every chance we get. I love that we can focus on my son’s curiosity and creativity to collect things when we walk and then go home and make collages or get more information about the things he is interested in.”

    Lisa H.
    Mom of 4-year-old boy and 1-year-old girl

  • “This will hold your child’s attention. The characters and adventures get kids thinking and interacting instead of sitting! My kids love it and can’t wait for the next box to come.”

    Stacey F.
    Mom of 6-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy

  • “… what a great discussion we had about the alligator being a toy that (by being purchased) helps abandoned animals. We are working on generosity and gratitude and that started a great discussion.”

    Kathryn H.
    Mom of 4-year-old girl

  • “My son was beyond excited to get a delivery for him from the mailman! The first day we spent a good hour listening to the music and talking about everything over lunch!”

    Kaki H.
    Homeschool Mom of 7

  • “I think for someone like myself, who doesn’t have a whole lot of time, giving me educational ideas that I can do with my preschooler is such a great concept. On a rainy Saturday afternoon, it was the perfect activity to dig into!”

    Julie V.
    Mom of 3 girls, ages 6, 4, and 8 months

  • “My child’s favorite activity was learning about each of the members of the club and finding something she had in common with each of them. This provided an endless supply of ideas for activities — sports, art, culture, geography, etc.”

    Lisa T.
    Mom of 4-year-old girl

  • “My son’s face lit up every time a box was delivered. Many of the activities and items have provided joy, learning, and entertainment well beyond one month.”

    Cara C.
    Mom of 2, boy and girl

  • “I loved having the lyrics to the songs, especially for my youngest. We are looking forward to what comes next!”

    Betsy M.
    Mom of 2 boys, ages 2 and 5

  • “A great way to interact with your child that is fun and educational. I really like that I can do this in 10–15 minutes at a time. The superhero cape was a HIT!”

    Amy S-B
    Mom of 2 boys and 2 girls

  • “What a delightful program! The richness of this program is in the simplicity and freshness of the approach. A true understanding of young children is demonstrated here.”

    -Judge, 2015 REVERE Awards
    Association of American Publishers

  • "Capitalizes on curiosity and children's sense of wonder."

    Expert Reviewer

  • "Dilly's Tree House facilitates and encourages doing, making, investigating, creating, finding, thinking."

    Expert Reviewer

  • "The richness of this program is in the simplicity and freshness of the approach. A true understanding of young children is demonstrated here."

    Expert Reviewer

  • "I would highly recommend this product to an elementary teacher or a parent of a young child."

    Expert Reviewer

  • "The music is excellent! Children will enjoy listening and dancing to these songs."

    Expert Reviewer

  • "I was very impressed with these materials. There are so many wonderful ideas to use with pre-K and kindergarten children."

    Expert Reviewer

State Approvals

The InvestiGator Club® curriculum is aligned to all state and national standards and is approved in those states that have an approval process. These states are:

  • Alabama State Department of Education
  • Arkansas Better Chance
  • Florida School Readiness
  • Florida VPK
  • Georgia Bright from the Start
  • ExceleRate Illinois
  • Maryland Department of Education
  • Minnesota Department of Education
  • Nebraska Department of Education
  • North Carolina Department of Education
  • Pennsylvania Department of Education
  • Tennessee Department of Education
  • Texas School Ready

Media Inquiries

Media Professionals interested in Dilly’s Tree House or The InvestiGator Club® are welcome to contact:

Robert-Leslie Publishing
Email: customer.service@robert-leslie.com
Or call: 773-935-8358

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Meaningful Family Engagement

“As parents and educators, we know that kids are more motivated and attentive at school when valuable learning experiences are integrated at home. As creators of the award-winning InvestiGator Club® curriculum, we are thrilled that parents will now have simple tools to help them read, talk, and play together while continuing their child’s adventures at home. Dilly’s Tree House is the ideal family engagement solution for any early childhood program.”

— CEO Judi Coffey and the Dilly’s Tree House Team

Benefits of Dilly’s Tree House School Edition

Your classroom is humming with developmentally appropriate activities that stimulate children’s natural curiosity, get kids up and moving, and engage them in inquiry-based learning experiences. But what happens to all that great learning when the kids go home?

Now you have a way to extend that learning and make it stick by offering to families research-based tools that model and apply effective practices to everyday life.

When you offer Dilly’s Tree House:

  • you will be doing something truly remarkable for families.
  • children’s readiness skills and confidence will soar.
  • your program will stand out from all the rest.
  • you will be growing superheroes.

What is in each Dilly's Tree House School Edition Pack?

  • A postcard from one of the InvestiGator Club characters
  • A Ready Set Go! Card describing the components and activities
  • A book focusing on one of the characters and a social-emotional skill, such as taking turns, sharing, or paying attention
  • An Adventure Shapers Story Kit
  • A Play and Learn Guide with 12 activities, enough for three 10-15 minute activities for families to do together each week
  • Dilly’s Music and Movement CD in Pack 1
  • Posters and stickers
  • Kindergarten Readiness Checklist
  • Online activities for kids and resources for families

How does the Dilly's Tree House School Edition work?

  1. Dilly’s Tree House School Edition is a series of seven learning packs, each of which introduces one of the seven InvestiGators, a social-emotional focus, science and social studies topics, and readiness skills.
  2. The first set, Starring Dilly Gator, comes with its own Dilly’s Tree House purple drawstring backpack. Packs 2-7 are packaged in plastic bags rather than boxes.
  3. The School Edition includes the same learning products as the Dilly’s Tree House boxes with the exception of the Tree House Treasure.
  4. Packs are delivered to your classroom for distribution to your students at a time of your choosing.

You may also offer families the opportunity to subscribe to the regular Dilly’s Tree House boxes to be delivered directly to their homes.

Who should purchase the School Edition?

Dilly’s Tree House is appropriate for any preschool, pre-K, kindergarten, group, or family setting where children between the ages of 3 and 5 play and learn. It is not necessary to be an InvestiGator Club curriculum user, but it sure is great if you are!

  • Public and private preschools
  • Charter schools
  • Head Start and Early Head Start
  • Childcare chains
  • Park districts
  • Family support and home visiting organizations
  • Shelters
  • Faith-based preschools
  • Homeschool cooperatives
  • State and local departments of education
  • Military child development centers

School and Group Pricing

Contact us for school pricing, funding options, and details on Dilly’s Tree House, as well as for more information about The InvestiGator Club curriculum products for children from birth — kindergarten. We would love to chat and customize a plan for your unique program.

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