When Santa is spelled K P M G!

On Monday, December 7th the children at Mi Escuelita Preschool were treated to a visit by some very special volunteers as a part of KPMG’s Operation Bear Hug Program. KPMG employees stuffed bears, dressed them, and matched them with a children’s book. Then each bear with its book, a birth certificate, and a personal note was packed up and delivered to children at Mi Escuelita. In addition to being Santa’s helpers and giving a bear and book to each child, the KPMG employees read in the classrooms at Mi Escuelita’s Crossover site to celebrate the KPMG Family for Literacy Program. The children at Mi Escuelita were thrilled with their books and their bears and nap time that afternoon included lots of bear hugs.

The Mi Escuelita Society is Hosting a Halloween Happy Hour!

The Mi Escuelita Society is hosting a Halloween Happy Hour this Thursday, October 29 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Stoneleigh Hotel.

Join us to support childhood education, learn more about Mi Escuelita and network with Dallas professionals. All while sipping Vampire Martinis.

Event Updates:
Complimentary Valet Parking
20% discount at Bolla Restaurant - come for drinks, stay for dinner.

RSVP using Evite.

We look forward to seeing you at this spooktacular event!

Dallas Cowboys Bring BIG Excitement to Mi Escuelita!

Mi Escuelita Preschool sites are normally full of excitement but the afternoon of Wednesday September 22 was marked by little giggles mixed with big laughs when the Dallas Cowboys Rookie Club visited the children at Mi Escuelita’s Crossover site. The size differences didn’t seem to matter as groups of the preschoolers practiced jumping jacks and raced back and forth between linebackers who stood in for end posts. Everyone had a good time and some budding young quarterbacks demonstrated some well practiced throwing skills – who knows by the time they are old enough to play in the big leagues the NFL might have some female quarterbacks.

The rookies who visited Mi Escuelita were:
#7 Stephen McGee
#18 David Buehler
#36 Mike Hamlin
#57 Victor Butler
#58 Jason Williams
#85 Kevin Ogletree
#89 John Phillips
#5 Ruby Carpenter
#33 Mike Mickens
#60 Travis Bright
#87 Manuel Johnson
#79 Robert Brewster
#55 Stephen Hodge
#59 Brandon Williams


A big THANKS to the Dallas Cowboys, the Rookie Club, and Rowdy for a great fun filled afternoon. Need something to make you feel good? Click below to see the fun and games.

New Website Launched

Photo credit: Clarissa Brockway

This summer, ExxonMobil selected Mi Escuelita and other nonprofit organizations in Dallas for their Community Summer Job Program. ExxonMobil granted each organization money in order to hire an intern for the summer. Mi Escuelita chose to find an intern to completely redesign and rebuild their website.

After reviewing several applicants, Mi Escuelita chose Clarissa Brockway, a senior Arts and Technology major at the University of Texas at Dallas with seven years of web design experience.

"I knew this was the job for me right away. Not only was I going to be doing what I love, but I was also going to do it for an incredible organization," Brockway said.

Over the course of eight weeks, Brockway worked closely with Mi Escuelita employees to determine what would need to be changed on the website.

"We felt it needed a complete redesign that would make it visually appealing, better organized, easier to update, and more informative," Brockway said.

After presenting and reworking several designs, the Mi Escuelita site went live on September 9, 2009. The site features drop-down menus that allow for multiple pages divided into categories, more photos of the children, and a clean, browser-friendly design.

"It was important to me that we make the site accessible to as many people as possible. It would be a shame to miss out on a donation or a volunteer because he or she couldn't figure out or load the site," Brockway said.

The completed site is now available to be viewed at www.miescuelita.org and will see several changes throughout its lifetime. As more content is received, the site will be updated and improved by both the Mi Escuelita staff and Brockway, who could not bear to leave behind what she calls the most rewarding experience of her life.

Tree Falls on Crossover Campus

Photo credit: Robert Leal

On Thursday, June 11, a large tree fell on the playground at the Crossover location, crushing playground equipment and causing damage to the building.

"I wasn't there when it happened, but I saw the damage the next day. It was scary," Office Assistant Corrina Luna said.

While the school was closed for the summer and the children, who had their last day on Tuesday, were all gone, several employees were on-site. The event occured in the afternoon after the morning storms had passed.

"It was weird, it was so calm. There wasn't any wind or anything. It was just sunny out," Associate Director of Technology and Design Robert Leal said.

Employees reported hearing a loud noise and feeling the floor shake when it happened. The tree touched powerlines when it fell, but no large fires erupted. The fire department arrived shortly after the incident was reported and contained the situation.

"I'm just thankful the kids weren't here when it happened." Executive Director Gayle Nave said.

One large playground structure is completely destroyed and the tree is currently being removed from the area. The structure will need to be replaced, but there is no word yet on how much it will cost Mi Escuelita.