Chuck E. Cheese's goes educational

It's a little hard to believe that the perennial location for children's entertainment, Chuck E. Cheese's, is trying to generate revenue to fill it's traditional non-peak weekday times by offering an educational program called Brainrush Academy, a venture co-founded by of all people, the founder of CEC, Nolan Bushnell.

The Brainrush Academy programs will be held in the CEC Showroom. Child participants in the program can sign up for daily, weekly or monthly installments of either the Playground program with children age 3 to 5 or the Academy afterschool program for kids ages 5 through 12 that provides academics, entrepreneurship, arts and technology education, all through adaptive learning software that is used as a supplement to the classroom. Both parents and teachers have input into specific areas of focus for the child.

Each program also features time out for gameplay at Chuck E. Cheese's to reward progress.

Fitness and financial responsibility programs are also planned for parents and kids to participate in and learn together.

We believe the program has a chance for success. But perhaps one obstacle will be whether children older than about age eight will be willing to attend a program held at what they consider a young kids location. Will the sissy factor keep them away?