The LEGO Education Centers will offer innovative educational enrichment programs in early childhood, science, math and technology for children ages 3 through 16. Classes will be offered to students both in the center and on-site at schools in a mix of daytime, after-school, weekend and summer camp programs. Additionally, the centers will provide staff development for educators in the use of LEGO curriculum and materials to teach science, math and technology in their classrooms.

While new to the U.S. market, LEGO Education Centers are well established in other parts of the world, particularly Asia, where the centers have been open since 2001. More than 150 LEGO Education Centers are operating successfully in Korea, Japan, Singapore, China, and Australia.

"We are delighted to partner with ALC Education Group to bring the LEGO Education Center concept to North America," said Jens Maibom, vice president, LEGO Education. "Education is a major focus for the LEGO Group in North America, and with the ALC team's track record in education, marketing and retail operations in the U.S., we will be able to effectively expand this important segment of our business."

In addition to licensing its brand name and trade identity to the enterprise, LEGO Education is providing its curriculum and construction materials, which have been successfully utilized in markets worldwide; and support in architectural design and trade dress for the centers.

"The LEGO brand is exceptionally well-known and beloved by children, parents and educators in the U.S. and Canada, so we know the LEGO Education Centers will be enthusiastically welcomed," said Dan Charleton, CEO, ALC Education Group. "The concept is dramatically different from anything currently offered by the supplemental education market in the U.S."

"Unlike most after-school programs of drill and repetition, we will offer a hands-on, fun, creative environment in which children will work together to investigate robotics, mathematics, design and engineering and a host of other subjects. LEGO Education Center curricula are designed to stimulate a child's ability to think creatively, to solve problems, and to work as part of a team - all critical skills for 21st century careers."

Each center will include up to six flexible classrooms for programs and activities, a LEGO themed gym for children's parties and special events, and a small retail area offering the LEGO Education products. The first center is slated to open in spring 2006 in suburban metro New York. ALC is currently reviewing properties in the New York and Washington D.C. metropolitan areas for additional sites. The company plans to open LEGO Education Centers in all major metropolitan markets across the US and Canada.

The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company, based in Billund, Denmark. It was founded in 1932 and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of creatively educational play materials for children, employing 7,400 people globally. The company is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities.

ALC is a privately-held company, based in New York, NY. The company was established in 2004 to bring advanced educational curriculum and programming to the consumer and educator markets. It is a collaboration of highly-regarded educators experienced with integration of LEGO products in the classroom and seasoned consumer business operators. The company's financial advisor is Dovetail Capital LLC of Greenwich, CT.