GlobalGiving.org: Equip 8 preschool classrooms on a college campus

Families Succeeding at the Boys & Girls Club

Laura Portier-LaLumiere — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:23:46 GMT

The Alvarez Family

One of the programs that operates at our Robert Mayer Child Development Preschool at Golden West College is the Twilight Education Project. This program gives low-income English Language Learners free preschool instruction for young children, academic support for school age kids, and ESL and job skills training for moms and dads. This program is the Club's premier "Family Strengthening" program and won Boys & Girls Clubs of America's 2011 Family Strengthening Award. The program started in 2003 and over the years, it has received many honors at the local, state and national levels. More important to the Club than any award that we might receive is the success of the families we serve.

The Alvarez family has been participating in the Twilight Education Project almost from its very start. In 2004, a staff member at the Huntington Beach City School District referred the Alvarez family to the Boys & Girls Club's Twilight program and to Speech and Language Therapy because their three year old child Melissa had a speech delay. Coupled with her therapy, the Twilight preschool program forced her to use language skills to communicate with her peers and she started to have great results. The speech and language therapy program usually takes a couple of years, however, Melissa only needed one year and was able to enter directly into regular education in Kindergarten, without having to do special day classes. Her mother and her speech therapist thought the Twilight program had a lot to do with this success. Melissa and her younger sister Marian have both been in the program since 2004 and have attended regularly over all these years. They are doing excellent work in school. Melissa is now in 5^th grade and gets A’s on her report card. Marian is now in 4^th grade and is having great success in her school’s Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program. Their mother, Marqueza Alvarez, believes that the help that her children have received at the Twilight Education Project is what has enabled them to be so successful in school. Mrs. Alvarez is one of the biggest parent promoters of the program and helps us spread the word within the local community.

The preschool classrooms that this project helps support are now giving the next generation of young children the opportunity to succeed like Melissa and Marian. Thank you!

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Big Smiles at Boys & Girls Club's New Preschool

Laura Portier-LaLumiere — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:20:36 GMT

As you can see from the big smiles on the face of these little ones, the kids at the Robert Mayer Child Development Preschool love the program and are thrilled with the classroom supplies that your generous support helps buy. Thank you so much!

When we opened the new preschool, we hired more staff to accommodate our growing enrollment and the wide variety of teaching styles this has brought to our school has been wonderful. We have incorporated so many new ideas! I’d like to tell you about some of the fun activities that we’ve done this summer...

In June, teachers took our preschoolers to visit Harbour View Elementary School so that they could get a sense of what to expect when they go to Kindergarten in the fall. They toured the campus, visited inside a Kindergarten classroom where a Kindergarten teacher read books to them and led them in some music and movement activities. They also got a chance to play like the big kids on the Kindergarten playground. When they came back, the kids were so excited about starting school now that they knew what to expect.

This summer we also held a Family Picnic where families gathered on the preschool playground for an evening filled with a BBQ, games, karaoke, and raffle prizes. We had a great turnout and families enjoyed the time spent together.

In the classrooms, children have been busy learning about the ocean and sea animals. They are painting and creating the ocean and everything that they can think of that lives under the sea. Along with discussions of the ocean, staff has also used circle time for the opportunity to talk to the kids about sun protection and how important it is. Water play has been a big part of our summer outdoor play as well. The kids enjoy cooling off in our small swimming pools, sensory tables and simply playing out in the sunshine.

Thank you for making all these fun and special activities possible by supporting the preschool!

Boys & Girls Club's New Preschool - A Few Words from Kids & Parents

Laura Portier-LaLumiere — Wed, 04 May 2011 21:54:06 GMT

Thank you for making our preschool a great place for young kids!

The kids are excited about the classroom supplies your support helps buy:

“The new classroom has a lot of legos!” – Nathaneal, age 4

“My school is different because it has tools.” – Joey, age 4

“I like the new building and the new toys!” – Zayn, age 4

Here's what parents have to say:

“The new center is beautiful and my children love the teachers. It’s wonderful having a fresh, new facility to take my kids to.” –Sarah Mitchell

“It’s a great facility. We appreciate what has been done and that the preschool is maintaining some of the lowest fees around, even with the increase of classroom capacity. My daughter has really grown since she started when she was four months old and has thrived in her environment with the awesome staff and teachers. Parents can trust the teacher who is helping to raise their child." – Lucie Walden-Schulz

“The classroom is a lot more spacious and more organized, and the teachers show so much care for the kids. The Boys and Girls Club is a great facility and pretty much everything is all provided, from health screening to everything needed to prepare the kids for their first day of school.” – Trang Lai

Boys & Girls Club's New Preschool - NOW OPEN!

Laura Portier-LaLumiere — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:09:03 GMT

Robert Mayer Child Development Preschool

We are proud to report that our new preschool is NOW OPEN! Our grand opening ceremony was held on January 11, 2011 and the new Robert Mayer Child Development Preschool is already serving about 80 children with room to grow in our brand new 8-classroom facility.

The Preschool is located on the Golden West College campus in Huntington Beach and new facility is making a difference to children from student families and the community at large. For more information about the Preschool, you can visit our website at http://www.bgchv.com/our-locations/gwc-preschool/.

We thank all of the generous donors to this project and we appreciate your continued support as we purchase equipment, supplies, and materials that make the classrooms of this new preschool into an ideal learning environment for young children.

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Boys & Girls Club Preschool Update

Laura Portier-LaLumiere — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:11:05 GMT

As you can see from the attached photo of the construction site, we're making great progress--all thanks to generous donors like you! We hope to have the new Robert Mayer Child Development Preschool open by January 2011, just a few short months away.

A mom at one of our Clubs recently wrote:

"My stepdaughter Maddie was literally dropped off on our doorstep to come and live with us full-time. With no help from Maddie’s mother either financially or emotionally, things were looking scary for us. I was scrambling to get Maddie enrolled in daycare. I wondered how we could work this out financially. I did a lot of research about daycare around Huntington Beach and that’s how I first came to know about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley. Much to my relief, they offer a sliding scale, which made us able to afford it and go to work! I don’t know what we would do or where Maddie would end up without Boys & Girls Club!! We don’t have many other options. I will be forever grateful for what the Club does for our family. The Boys & Girls Club is truly 'The Positive Place for Kids'!!!"

Thank you for helping families like Maddie's!

"The best loving care a parent may wish for"

Laura Portier-LaLumiere — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:47:43 GMT

Construction is underway on the new Child Development Preschool at Golden West College and we expect it to be open by November 2010! Check out the photos to see how the new site is taking shape.

A mother whose child attends BGCHV's existing temporary facility on campus recently wrote to the Club, “I am 100% in knowing that my son is given the best loving care a parent may wish for. I am trying my best to raise my son without any support from his father. I have to admit that without all the care and help that my son and I have from the Boys & Girls Club, I would barely stand where I am today. The gratitude I have for all of you will be carried forever within my heart.”

Your generosity is what will make it possible for the Club to bring that great loving care to even more children. Thank you for making a difference to families in need!

Celebrate with us--construction has begun!

Laura Portier-LaLumiere — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:37:58 GMT

You are invited to Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley's Building Dreams construction celebration!

Join the Building Dreams committee, campaign donors, family and friends of the Boys & Girls Clubs as we celebrate an exciting event: the beginning of construction of the new Child Development Center at Golden West College. This is Phase I of California's 1st Boys & Girls Club on a college campus. You will also learn about what we have planned for Phase II and Phase III.

Join the celebration!

June 10, 2010 • 5-7pm Golden West College Campus, Amphitheater 15744 Goldenwest Street, Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (enter the parking lot at the Gothard St/Center Ave entrance and staff will direct you)

Enjoy food, drinks, gelato and more.

Please RSVP to 714-593-0753 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 714-593-0753 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 714-593-0753 end_of_the_skype_highlighting ext. 109 or email jhauer@bgchv.com.

Exciting News About Our New Center!

Laura Portier-LaLumiere — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:31:05 GMT

We have exciting news to share with you! Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley has scheduled construction for the new Golden West College Child Development Center to begin in March 2010. This means that the new Center will be built and operating by Fall 2010!

After four years of planning and preparation, we will soon be providing a safe and positive place for children to grow and develop into good citizens in an under-served area of our community. We appreciate the support of the GlobalGiving community! Thanks to you, a great preschool experience will give children the building blocks they need for a lifetime of success.

A New Preschool and a New Hope

JoAnn Arquillano — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:22:32 GMT

Hundreds of families in Huntington Beach are low income households with a single parent who works or a two parent home with both parents working. For these families, the expanded site on Golden West College's campus will give them the peace of mind they need and the quality care their children deserve.

A parent at the current preschool site writes, “I am grateful to the Boys and Girls Club of Huntington Valley for all the help they have given along the way. By opening their doors to us, they gave me and my daughter the opportunity to expand our minds and the ability to provide a roof over our heads and put food on the table.”

With the history-making site on Golden West College, we will be able to serve thousands of in-need families and give children a place to grow and learn. While parents have the confidence that their children are safe and well-taken care of, they can pursue their educational and career goals to give their families a new hope for their futures.

As the first phase of the project is dedicated to building the new preschool site, help from donors like you can directly affect what we can provide these little tykes as they grow and learn within the Club's safe and caring walls.

Check out the newly updated photos in the photo gallery and see how children at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley are enjoying their experiences at our preschools right now.

Thanks from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley!

JoAnn Arquillano — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:38:13 GMT

Thanks to all of you who donated to our project and helped us reach our goal on the GlobalGiving Open Access Online Challenge! Because of your support, we were able to raise $4,555 from 53 individual donors, and gained a permanent spot on the GlobalGiving website!

Of course, this success doesn't mark the end of our journey - we still need you! Since we've got over $20,000 to raise to meet our funding goal we need your help to spread the word! So be sure to share our cause on Facebook, send an email to all your contacts, or send out some info on Twitter and get the word out there!

It doesn't take much for someone to provide our future preschool classrooms with toys or costumes or science kits. A small sacrifice from us now will become a big gift for children for years to come. With a little help from everyone we can make this dream of California's 1st Boys & Girls Club on a college campus a reality!

Thanks again for all your support! And be sure to leave us a comment, we would love to hear from you!