Nurture 15 At-Risk Atlanta Preschoolers for a Year

Dear Friends,

Every April, Sheltering Arms joins the National Association for the Education of Young Children and early childhood programs around the United States to celebrate the Week of the Young Child.  We celebrate the unique gifts of each child, and show them how much they are loved and valued by parents and teachers.  We also celebrate to raise the community's awareness that these young children  are our best investment in the future.  From Nobel Laureate economist James Heckman to Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, many of our nation's greatest thinkers, leaders, and researchers are championing early childhood education as the best investment in our future.  Young children who begin their lives in a stable, nurturing, stimulating environment are more likely to succeed as adults.  Their success will build healthy communities and robust economies that benefit us all.

We began the Week of the Young Child with the Sheltering Arms StoryStroll.  Families from all sixteen Sheltering Arms centers came together to walk a mile for our children, and to enjoy a family-friendly festival that promoted healthy choices.  Later in the week, our board of directors took their annual tour of our centers, speaking with parents and playing with children along the way, and taking back to their deliberations the knowledge of how their work impacts families on our front lines.  Centers hosted fashion shows, international celebrations, field days, reading events, and cookouts with dads at the grill...all aimed at making our children feel special and at reminding adults of the important role of play and imagination in children's development.  We also launched a special "Alumni News" page on our website during the Week of the Young Child to celebrate the accomplishments of our children as they grow.  Check it out at the link below, and come back often as we post more stories leading up to our 125th anniversary celebration next year.

One of our celebrations during the Week of the Young Child is Georgia's new Quality Rating System.  It will recognize early childhood centers that go beyond basic licensing requirements to produce better results for young children.  We are honored to be among the first programs participating in the system, and were proud to be featured in a recent story on WXIA-TV about the system.  You can see the story in the link we've provided.

In the next few weeks we will be saying good-bye to some of our children as they begin their transition to elementary school.  It is always a bittersweet time for us, sad to see children we love moving on, but grateful that we have helped prepare them for the opportunities ahead.  As a supporter of our work, you also play an important role in their lives.  Thank you so much.

With gratitude,

Paige

Links:

• Sheltering Arms Alumni News
• TV Report: Sheltering Arms & Georgia's Quality Rating System
• Video: Sheltering Arms StoryStroll

Dear Friend of Sheltering Arms,

Every December, we are overwhelmed with the generosity of friends who share with our children during this season of giving.  Thousands of toys and books are collected by school groups, businesses, and at special holiday parties.  Financial contributions made in honor of loved ones will help provide child care tuition scholarships for our children in the new year.  Volunteers share their time to play the part of Santa's elves in our classrooms, or donate household items to families who are struggling after tragedies like housefires and illness.  These gifts from the community give our children holiday memories to cherish.  We are so grateful.

There are so many deserving requests for help at this time of year.  We recently ran across a Money Magazine article that gave five questions to help donors decide where their gifts can make the biggest difference.  As a friend and supporter of Sheltering Arms through Global Giving, we thought you'd like to know how we measure up on these questions.

1. Does the IRS recognize Sheltering Arms as a charity?  Yes.  Donations to Sheltering Arms are tax-deductible. 
2. How long have you been around?  Sheltering Arms was founded in 1888 and has been in operation continuously for the past 123 years.
3. What percent of my donation will go to charitable works?   92 cents of every dollar donated to Sheltering Arms goes directly to serve children and families.
4. Do you have a year's worth of working capital?  Even during the recession, Sheltering Arms has ended every fiscal year with a balanced budget and a slight surplus which is reinvested into our program.  With an annual budget of more than $25 million, we have approximately five months of working capital on hand.  Our diverse funding base includes a healthy mix of private contributions (individuals, foundations, special events), government grants, and earned income from more than 67 different sources.  This gives us the flexibility and resiliency to continue providing quality services even in a tough economy.  At present, we have raised more than 40% of the goal of $10 million in our Teach Today>Reach Tomorrow campaign, which will provide additional capital and reserve funding to strengthen our financial position.  Sheltering Arms owns or has rent-free long-term lease agreements for 15 of our 16 centers.
5. Are you slashing services this year?  No; we're actually serving more children than ever.  While the recession has affected some of our funding sources and required some creative problem solving and belt tightening measures, we actually are serving more children in 2011 than in the previous year.  Changing demographics and demand and decreases in funding necessitated the closing of our Rockdale county center.  That was offset, however, by the relocation and expansion of one of our Gwinnett county centers and small increases in Pre-K class sizes.  Many of the children and staff affected by the Rockdale closure relocated to other Sheltering Arms centers.

Because of supporters like you, Sheltering Arms is stable and growing during this tough economy when more families than ever need our services.  Thank you so much for what you have done in 2011 to make this possible.  We hope your new year is full of the same joy and hope you have shared with the thousands of children and families served by Sheltering Arms.

Peace on Earth,

Paige

Links:

• Sheltering Arms' Website
• Money Magazine 5 Questions to Evaluate Charities

• New Sheltering Arms Brochure (PDF)