Main fundraiser photo

El Jardín Infantil: New Flooring!

In the fall of 2010 we, Michelle Smith and Marie Everett, met each other when we began working in 4K. We were part of a wonderful program that offered students who came from Spanish-speaking homes the opportunity to do their first learning in their home language. Even in cases where children move on to a kindergarten class where they are taught only in English, the value of having that foundational learning, both academic and socio-emotional, without the barrier of being expected to learn a new language at the same time something their English-speaking peers do not have to contend with, makes a tremendous difference in academic outcomes. (Take a moment to imagine that you are starting a new job and are expected to learn and work in a language that would be new to you. How successful do you think you would be?)

We are a great team with very compatible philosophies on education with the added strength of very diverse personal and educational experiences to draw on. Together we have been working to create a program that continues to get better year by year. At the end of our third year we were told our classroom would be moved. Because of the way the school district's system works we did not automatically retain our positions but had to re-apply for them. We were lucky to both be able to move to the classroom's new location. Throughout that process we talked about how we wished we could be our own program and have the security that we needed to fully invest in what we have come to feel was a calling to work with that specific population of students and families who are often disenfranchised by the educational system due to economic and linguistic barriers.


We were lucky to make the move and keep our team together. Full of optimism, we started to make the changes necessary to make our program work in a new space with new assets and liabilities. We no longer had the luxury of diverse outdoor greenspaces but we had the use of an engaging  garden area and a large sunlit classroom.


Two years later and we have received the same sad news: our classroom is being moved and we have to find new positions. This time around instead of embarking on another quest to follow the classroom we looked at each other and decided that the time for our "someday dream" was now. After five years working together we have the vision and all the skills we need to open our own preschool program for Spanish-speaking students and be able to offer wrap-around care, something that is critically needed by working families.

We have found a wonderful location in the lower level of a church with the most incredibly supportive and welcoming congregation. There is no doubt that this site was meant to be for us. It is in one of the neighborhoods that our students have typically come from and is in walking distance of many inspiring greenspaces to explore. It does, however, need to have some improvements made to meet the building code for a preschool. Fire alarms need updating, a fenced outdoor area needs to be added, doors need to be replaced, and a new refrigerator purchased. These improvements must be made and we need to be able to purchase the furniture, rugs, and shelving before we can proceed to our licensing inspection. We are lucky to have accumulated an impressive store of teaching materials that are personally owned over the years but we have little to nothing in the way of furnishings. Licensing, followed by city accreditation, allows us to access programs that will make tuition and meals free for low-income families.

Whenever we speak with people about our plans we are touched by hearing, "How can I help?" over and over. Here is how. In order to open in September as we hope we need to be able to make purchases as quickly as possible. We don't want to begin this venture encumbered with debt that could be a barrier to success for what should be a preschool that serves the community for many, many years to come.

Individually, we are one drop.
Together, we are an ocean.
                                         Ryunosuke Satoro

Any donation, no matter the size, moves us closer to making this dream a reality. We don't have the words to express how grateful we will be to every single person who dreams along with us and shares a measure of their time, talent, or treasure.

If you watch this page there will be periodic updates as we move through the summer completing steps towards making our dream school, El Jardín Infantil, a reality.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
Michelle and Marie
#GoBeyondGiving

Organizer

Marie Klein Everett
Organizer
Madison, WI

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