Mi Escuelita News

April Overview

2011-05-20T12:17:00.000-05:00

St. Matthews: April was a super exciting month for St. Matthew’s. Prestonwood Christian Academy kicked off the monthly festivities with an awesome Field Day. The children had a blast playing with all the PCA students. No one wanted to leave when the activities! We also hosted a Math and Science Night, which was a huge hit with our parents. Classroom 4 did a "flubber" science experiment which was so in demand, they had parents lining up outside of their classroom! Classroom 2 had a Chinese, Italian and Mexican food taste test. There were lots of people waiting to enter that classroom too! The Week of the Young Child, which we celebrated from April 11th-15th was also a big success and we ended it with a huge bang by throwing a carnival. The teachers set up super fun activities in their classrooms that everyone enjoyed. I think I can speak for everyone that this month was a blast at St. Matthew’s! Thank you parents and staff for all your hard work and effort, you guys did such a great job in making this month special for our children.

CH: April was filled with fun and exploration inside and outside the classroom! The Dallas Zoo brought some rabbits to visit and taught the children how to take care of them. They enjoyed a variety of activities for the week of the young child. The Jesuit students did an awesome presentation which included music and magic. The children and staff had a lot of fun! They have a new program going on at their site “Every Child Ready to Read” provided by the Hampton Dallas Library Branch, which they host three Wednesdays in the month. They also hosted a volunteer appreciation breakfast. Lots of parents showed up to enjoy it! The children enjoyed the “National Dance Day” and each class represented a different type of dancing. The children rotated from class to class learning new dance steps from Hip Hop to Ballet.

CR: Our overviews not only are a time to share what the classrooms have been up to the past month, but also to share our appreciation for our coworkers. This month, Crossover would particularly like to highlight a man whom you never see much of, but you always know he is there when you need him. Crossover would like to recognize our computer guy Robert Leal for always “fixing the problem.” Most of the time we don’t know what the problem is, it just does not work!! Who do we call???? “ROBERT” Database is down!! Who do we call???? “ROBERT” Heavy boxes need to be moved?? Who do we call???? “ROBERT” We need pictures, flyers, color copies………. ROBERT, ROBERT, ROBERT.

We love you Robert and everything you do for us!

Buckner: This month we also had a Math and Science night, during which parents visited the classroom and witnessed the wonderful projects that the children worked on. After the parents and the children toured the different classrooms, they were able to collect various incentives such as books, crayons, and small party favors. We also celebrated the “Week of the Young Child” and finished it off with a carnival outside on the playground hosted by Prestonwood Christian Academy. Class 4 had a special activity this month: the teachers worked with the parents to surprise the children during the week of the young child by introducing “special guests” to coordinate activities in classroom. The children were very excited when they realized that the special guests were their parents! Some parent volunteers put on a puppet show for the class. They also had a police officer come to talk to the students about his role in our community.

Bethany: April was our project month. The children were interested in learning about eggs and they learned about animals that lay eggs and that don’t. They learned where and why some animals lay eggs? For example, why do some like nests, some hollow trees, or in the water, soil, or even on buildings? Turtles even use the sand to hide the eggs, whereas lady bugs lay their eggs on a leaf that has aphids because as soon as the larvae hatch they start hunting for aphids. Ms Rodriguez brought in real eggs of an ostrich, duck, guinea hen, hummingbird, and emu for the children to observe. The children loved exploring the various real eggs. The teachers and children were surprised to learn that most eggs are eaten, like the snake eggs and ostrich eggs. Some eggs are protected, like the turtle eggs, because of the length of time between laying eggs and hatching. They even invited a guest speaker, Mr. Jeff, who brought in an incubator with eggs. The eggs were all of different colors, brown, black, spotted, blue, and green brown. They are waiting for the eggs to hatch!

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, the excitement, and the mystery of the world we live in." --Rachel Carlson

Until Next time!

Prerna Richards

Program Director

Why Preschool When We Have Abuelita?

2011-04-26T15:30:00.008-05:00

There is a saying that goes "A child's first school is their home". As in many communities, this saying rings true for the Latino communities out there. We all know someone in our families or communities who spent their early years learning from their abuelita (grandmother), abuelito (grandfather), tias (aunts) or tios (uncles) at home while mom and dad were working during the day. Our family's culture, what ever it may be, is our first true lesson in life. Although this is a strong, worthwhile lesson to learn, a proper preschool education is becoming more and more essential to a successful school experience for today's children.

Times are changing. Kindergarten used to be the classic "beginning" of a child's journey through school. Preschool was thought of as another name for "daycare". But the world is demanding more from students these days and a quality preschool education is more important than ever. What does a quality preschool education mean? A healthy environment, qualified teachers and a convenient location are all things to consider when looking for a preschool program. But don't forget that curriculum is equally as important. "Curriculum in a preschool?" you might be wondering--yes! A well thought out and carefully prepared curriculum can mean the difference between an easy or difficult transition for your child into kindergarten. Think about it: learning the fundamentals of English, math and all the other school subjects during the preschool years means that your child will already begin his or her elementary schooling that much ahead of everyone else.

Science has shown that between the ages of 2 to 5, a child's brain is going through a tremendous amount of growth. According to an early education study commissioned by the United Way, a preschool aged child's brain is developing strong social, emotional and mental connections during ages 2 to 5 years old. This means that those preschool ages are crucial times for learning the basics that children will use the rest of their lives. On top of this, a quality preschool program should also be able to equip your child with good social and classroom skills, such as raising their hand in class and how to properly get along with classmates.

When your child reaches the appropriate age, sending him or her to a quality preschool can be one of the best decisions for your child's future. Of course, they should still get their cultural education from la familia (family), because let’s face it, there are some life lessons that only family can teach. When you combine these life lessons with a head start on learning ABCs or 123s, our children become stronger students and stronger members of their community.

Celebrating Innovation

2011-04-18T11:58:00.000-05:00

This past January, President Obama encouraged the nation in his State of the Union address to "out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world". Much of the President's focus was on the innovation and technology that America has been known for, particularly in the fields of math and science. And as the President mentioned, the state of our math and science education across the nation is not where we want it to be. Unfortunately, those statistics are even worse for Hispanic children, particularly those facing the additional obstacles of living in poverty and having to learn English as a second language.

Only 3.4% of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) jobs in the United States are held by Hispanics. In 2009, only 44% of Hispanic fourth graders were able to test even at a basic skills level on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress). That means 1 out of every 2 Hispanic children in fourth grade essentially failed science. A Carnegie Report puts thirteen year old Hispanic children four grades behind in science skills.

It is absolutely crucial that we start intervening in these gaps at a young age. According to the U.S. Department of Education, only 32% of “at-risk” children (from families where English is not the primary language, live below poverty level, or whose parents did not get past high school education) were able to demonstrate basic math skills in kindergarten, compared to 65% of non at-risk children. These children are coming into kindergarten at a disadvantage not just in literacy and language skills but also in math and science. Focusing on these skills during preschool could make a dramatic difference—what takes only thirty minutes a day in catching up at the age of 4 or 5 takes two hours at the age of 8 or 9.

Each Mi Escuelita site held a Math and Science night on April 8^th, where the parents came to the school and participated in Math and Science activities with their children. It is important to show our parents how easy it is and what it might look like to engage their children in math and science learning at home. Our teachers have been tackling this issue of improving our math and science curriculum with a lot of innovation themselves. In fact, this year, our Bethany site had a particularly special night: they had a science fair with all the parents and the children! The teachers sent home different ideas of science experiments that the family could do together. The families worked on the experiments at home, and presented their findings to the other parents and children during Math and Science Night. It was a very special time to see the parents so engaged in what their child is learning. There are some pictures below of proud parents and children and their experiments.

As President Obama said, a quality education “begins not in our classrooms, but in our homes and communities. It's family that first instills the love of learning in a child. Only parents can make sure the TV is turned off and homework gets done. We need to teach our kids that it's not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair.”

Week of the Young Child

2011-04-13T13:17:00.028-05:00

"Children are the living message we send to a time we will not see."

- Neil Postman, The Disappearance of Childhood, 1982

We've all heard the saying that "the children are our future". While this is certainly true, another lesser known saying is one that appropriately balances out this famous quote. That particular saying goes:

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, that we sometimes forget that he is a child today.

It's interesting to truly examine the times we live in and to consider how youth is experienced by children today. If the above quotes teach us anything, it's that children are a representation of all of modern society, not just our education systems. If a child can pass a standardized test and that recorded score goes down in the annals of history, what good is that score if the child doesn't learn proper social behavior skills or how to keep physically fit or how to simply have fun? Celebrating a child's life should offer us a prime example of the exuberance of our world as seen through the eyes of the young.

This week is the Week of the Young Child, an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Its purpose is to raise public awareness on the needs of young children and their families. One of the main goals of raising this awareness is to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet the needs of such children and families. At Mi Escuelita Preschool, we are proud to not only be one of these programs that services the Dallas community but we are also firm believers in truly celebrating what it means to simply be a child (and all the fun that goes along with that).

All week long, throughout our five campus, Mi Escuelita site staff and teachers will be dedicating a portion of class time to celebrating what it means to be a kid. From crazy hair day to parent-produced puppet shows to an end of week carnival, each Mi Escuelita campus is incorporating unique themes into the student's daily routine. Some of the activities, such as the children portrait projects, is specifically aimed at helping parents express to the entire school just how much they value and appreciate their children. They accomplished this by creating paper doll cutouts of their children and decorating them with words of encouragement and love. These works of art were hung in prominent areas of several of the Mi Escuelita campuses, where the children pass by everyday and are able to see for themselves just how special they are to their parents.

Mi Escuelita's St. Matthew's site in east Dallas combined fun with safety with "helmet day", emphasizing the importance of wearing bicycle helmets when enjoying a bike ride.

Mi Escuelita's Bethany Site in northwest Dallas celebrated Week of the Child with a special "dance day" where the children showed off their dance-floor skills while being introduced to new dances from various types of music.

And of course, a week as important as Week of the Young Child deserves a proper send off. At the end of this week, each of the Mi Escuelita campuses will have a site wide carnival where all the children can let loose and have fun. Face painting, parent readers and games are just a few of the festivities planned for Friday. Even as I write this blog, the room I am in is buzzing with parent volunteers furiously constructing banners, preparing games and planning snacks for the "big day". Wait until you see the pictures of the kids enjoying this special event that celebrates their lives and the people who help them grow. Those photos of smiling children, parent volunteers and Mi Escuelita Staff all joining together in joyous appreciation of one another is what should stand as history's proof that in this place, in this time we understood and celebrated the pure fountain of youth alive in us all.

Find out how you can celebrate our community's young children by visiting our involvement page here at Mi Escuelita Preschool's website. Show a child you care, today.

A Peek into the Classrooms in March

2011-04-06T10:07:00.000-05:00

March at St. Matthew's was a busy month! They had a Dr. Seuss parade and a St. Patrick's Day parade as well, which was a huge hit with all the children and teachers. On March 21st, our Program Director, Prerna Richards, came and celebrated Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors, with the children. One of the parents who also celebrates Holi came and shared henna designs with the children, which they were excited to show off. The children also learned how to do the "Dandiya stick dance" and painted their faces with bright colors, like the tradition of the festival. Later in the month, Daisey and Patricia, our health services specialists, came and did a presentation on "Good Touch and Bad Touch" where Tia Medina, the nurse puppet, was a huge hit among the children.

Cockrell Hill welcomed Ms. Montoya, who joined their office team this March, and Ms. Hernandez from Wesley Rankin who joined Class 5. This month they took 72 children on a transition field trip to L.O. Donald Elementary school, where they acquaint the children with the school they will be attending for kindergarten. The kids loved the gym "because they can play outside regardless of the weather"! Also this month they had a Magnet Mania presentation from the Dallas Science and History Museum. The site manager, Ms. DeLeon, said she couldn't tell who was having more fun learning--the children or the teachers! March is the month of projects, where all the classes teach on different themes that they come up with. Ms. Rodriguez and Ms. Fernandez are doing a "ball" project and have had parents and volunteers help by playing baseball, soccer and football with the kids and they're loving it! The adults end up getting a work out as well, and the parents even attended a health presentation.

This month Crossover is highlighting Ms. Graciano and Ms. Solis's class. They are doing their project month on snakes and have done an outstanding job. One of the students' homework activities was to create a snake--some came back made out of socks, others out of paper, all very creative! They learned about how snakes sleep with their eyes open because they have eyelids; rattlesnakes have to have more than one rattle to make the rattling sound; you can tell how old a snake is by its segments; and snakes have teeth not just in their moth but inside their bodies! Who knew?

Buckner had their visit from the TWU nursing students this month and they worked with the children on brushing and flossing their teeth. They also celebrated their first Grandparents Day, which was a great event! Thirty grandparents attended, had breakfast and socialized with other grandparents as well as spent time in the classroom doing an activity with their grandchild. Buckner would like to highlight Ms. Gonzales and Ms. Urbina's class this month, whose project theme is cows. The children learned that there are many different cows in many different colors. Their dramatic play area is decorated as a dairy products store where children learned how to milk a cow and tasted two different kinds of cheese. Another class is learning about dogs and really enjoyed their special visit from "Pico", the Bichon Frise.

At Bethany, children are learning about plants and insects. They got to plant seeds and observe them sprouting. They also learned about insects, their movements, and the life cycles of butterflies. They had a visit from the Museum of Nature and Science as well as a field trip to the Dallas Arboretum where the children were introduced to flowers and listened to stories. They had lots of questions about planting seeds and got to practice planting sunflower seeds.

Hope you enjoyed a virtual look into our classrooms! You can see more pictures of different events on our Picasa page: https://picasaweb.google.com/miescuelitapreschool?fgl=true&pli=1.

What Words Are Worth

2011-03-28T10:24:00.019-05:00

The 2010 Census results are in. While the majority of the national talk surrounding the census figures has focused on ethnic population growth across the country, some of the most interesting statistics that hit closer to home is the economic data of the Dallas area population. This is particularly important to Mi Escuelita Preschool, and you as a Mi Escuelita supporter, because ongoing research indicates a direct link between income and vocabulary development in children.

Studies show that low-income parents tend to speak less to their children and use a far more limited vocabulary. A well known landmark study titled Meaningful Differences in the Everday Experiences of Young American Children by professors Betty Hart and Todd Risely closely monitered and recorded the interactions of parents and their children in a variety of income settings. Their focus was on words heard by children during the first four years of their lives, a key time in a child's brain development. The study found that children living in poverty heard an average of 616 words per hour, compared to 2153 that a child in a wealthy home typically hears. That's 1537 more words per hour, that an upper-middle class child is exposed to. It's no wonder there that our low-income children are ill-prepared for school.

Its no surprise that educational institutions around the country have already recognized the link between early vocabulary development and academic performance. A child with a firm grasp on the English language will inevitably do better in school; it's a fact. At Mi Escuelita Preschool, these latest Census 2010 figures simply add purpose to our mission and reinforces the idea that these communities are in desperate need of our services. If Dallas area children are to be shining examples of what Texas education is all about, then a quality education must begin during preschool and it can successfully begin with strengthening vocabulary.

If you look at the latest income map of Dallas produced using the Census 2010 income data, Mi Escuelita's five campuses fall directly in some of the lowest income areas of the city. In fact our Crossover and St. Mathew's campuses are located in the lowest income bracket illustrated by this map. You can check out this interactive income map here www.tinyurl.com/incomezip .

Examining this map and considering that Mi Escuelita Preschool's primary mission is early language intervention, it very clear why the families in these neighborhoods need a school like ours. Children in Mi Escuelita classrooms are exposed to three new vocabulary words a day; words that are introduced by their teachers at the beginning of instruction and then incorporated into activities through the rest of the school day. This means by the end of the current 2010-2011 school years, Mi Escuelita students will have added 504 new English words to their vocabulary. If attending school for two year, these children will learn over 1000 new vocabulary words at Mi Escuelita. 1000 more reasons why these bright, young children will defy the odds and rise above the statistics of their neighborhood.

If you are interested in the study conducted by Hart and Risely, here is some information on the book published about their findings: http://tinyurl.com/4sbdbz7. Next week, we'll talk about another Mi Escuelita component that seeks to positively impact this correlation between income and vocabulary development...inside the home life of the child.

Measured in Smiles

2011-03-18T09:00:00.003-05:00

The debate over classroom sizes in the United States has been in the news lately. The current financial state of education has brought the fundamentals of math to the forefront of this debate; math, as it pertains to ratios in classrooms.

According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a staff-to-child ration of 1:10 for 3- to 4-year-olds is highly recommended for classes with fewer than 20 children. Mi Escuelita Preschool, accredited by NAEYC, aims to do one better than this recommendation. Mi Escuelita maintains a 1:9 teacher-to-child ratio, meaning that there is one teacher for every 9 students in the classroom. The average Mi Escuelita classroom has a total of 18 children in it.

While the ratio of teacher-to-student may be a "hot button" issue in today's news, Mi Escuelita has always believed that more opportunity for one-on-one instruction allows children a better chance at success. What better way to accomplish this than giving students and teachers an ideal setting where all children have equal opportunity to have their needs addressed.

In their study "Eager to Learn: Educating our Preschoolers", the National Research Council suggests that an optimal learning environment for preschoolers combines a small staff-to-child ratio with a small class (or group) size. This optimal learning environment is the very reasoning for Mi Escuelita's maintaning of a 1:9 ratio in the classrooms. Its the simplicity of the math that makes sense for the children of Mi Escuelita; two teachers in every classroom means more personal attention and an overall structured environment for all Mi Escuelita students.

Research, math and common sense all play a part in Mi Escuelita's classroom ratio guidelines, but how are these measured? Walking into a Mi Escuelita classroom and observing the children, the outcomes become very apparent. The close knit community that is formed within the classroom. The undeniable, loving bonds the children form with their teachers. The flexibility teachers are given to allow their talents to shine. The huge smiles on the faces of the students and the teachers. These are measurements of an optimal learning environment; not measured in increments of numbers but by the number of lives touched.

The Month of February

2011-03-15T09:48:00.064-05:00

We enjoy posting our monthly overviews for you to have a peek inside the classrooms. Some of the activities you've already seen in earlier posts, but here are a few more highlights from the month of February!

At Bethany, children got to practice dressing up in Chinese clothes in the house area. Michelle tried very hard to learn how to use chopsticks, and after several tries, she was finally able to pick up some food! The class also put on a performance for Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church and acted out Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Desiree read the entire story on her own! The dinosaur hunt which happened on the playground was also very exciting--who knew there were such incredible things to find in our own backyard? As part of our Give Love project that you had a sneak peak of earlier, the families at Bethany also raised donations of teddy bears for Scottish Rite Hospital. It's a joy to teach our kids to give back to those in need.

At Buckner the Foster Grandparents were a huge help in celebrating the Chinese New Year! They made props and even cooked Chinese pork dumplings for the staff! One of the Foster Grandmothers in class 3 brought red envelopes with money per the tradition. We also have a new Foster Grandfather from Russia, Mr. Viatcheslav NIkolotov, whom we are very excited to welcome to the center. If you're interested in more information on the Foster Grandparent program, you can check out The Senior Source site. Some of the classes have been exploring black history throughout the month. Ms. Cross's class acted out the Rosa Parks story, and Ms. Eshiett's and Ms. Villareal's class made friendship bracelets using multicolored beads to represent the different cultures in the community. They also created "Freedom hands" in the art area, where they made hand prints of various colors to represent the skin complexions of many cultures. They are also very excited to say that one of our students from Class 3, Katiuska, demonstrated during a Bingo game that she knew all the letters of the alphabet, and helped lead the class in playing Bingo!

Crossover would like to welcome Ms. Alvarez, the new Family Advocate, and Ms. Cortez and Ms. Aguero, teachers in the new Class 5, who all came from the Wesley Rankin campus. This month was quite the opportunity to rise to the occasion for Ms. Cortez and Ms. Aguero: on February 15th, what used to be the resource room was filled with items from Wesley Rankin that needed to be washed, sanitized and sorted, and it was supposed to be turned into a classroom by February 16th! It seemed an impossible task but with help from parents, Ms. Roman, Ms. Castillo and some of the other teachers, and with an incredible positive attitude, Ms. Cortez and Ms. Aguero turned that resource room into a classroom overnight and were ready to welcome the children the next morning. They've done a great job making the transition from Wesley Rankin and helping our children in the process as well! If you care to see more Crossover activities, check out some of the previous posts about the Give Love project at Scottish Rite and the Dr. Seuss parade.

Cockrell Hill also welcomed new children and staff from Wesley Rankin and everyone has adjusted very smoothly. Ms. Cano's class was particularly excited to have a few Chinese volunteers from Northwood University. The children asked a lot of questions about their country, language and food since they had just been learning about the Chinese New Year! It was a great experience for them to continue their learning, and they were excited to share with their visitors what they had been learning.

St. Matthew's has also had a big transition this month as Jessica Reich has become the new Site Manager and Ms. Garcia and Ms. Cortez are new in Class 4, all from the Wesley Rankin campus. St. Matthew's now has a new Head Start classroom and a full house! For the Give Love project, St. Matthew's students took scarves, hats and stuffed animals to the senior residents of Cathedral Gardens. Also for Valentine's Day, the fathers were invited to have breakfast and do an activity in the classrooms with their children, which was a fun opportunity to see the dads interacting with their children. There also pictures of Class 1's Chinese New Year celebration in a previous blog post.

We also had visits from the TWU nursing students to all the centers both in February and in March. They taught the children all about the heart, and what to expect when they visit the doctor's office. Thanks so much TWU!

That's it for our February overview!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

2011-03-08T14:01:00.000-06:00

March 2nd would have been Dr. Seuss's 107th birthday if he were still alive, and in honor of this great contributor to children's literature, we celebrated his birthday with a parade. The children of Crossover and their teachers dressed up as different characters from the iconic books.

Class 1 dressed up as Thing 1 and Thing 2 (and 18 other Things!).

“Look at me!
Look at me!
Look at me NOW!
It is fun to have fun
But you have
to know how.”

The Cat in the Hat

Class 2 dressed up as the meddlesome monkeys that attacked Horton, and Ms. Brassil was Horton!

“…I meant what I said
And I said what I meant….
An elephant’s faithful
One hundred per cent!”

Horton Hatches the Egg

Class 3 had a Grinch in their midst, along with plenty of Cat in the Hats:

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And
you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll
decide where to go."

Oh the Places You'll Go!

And they were joined by many more Cat in the Hats from Class 4!

“UNLESS
someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.”

The Lorax

And Class 5 came as their own polka-dotted zoo!

"Today you are you!
That is truer than true!
There is no one alive

Who is you-er than you!
Shout loud, “I am lucky
to be what I am!"

Happy Birthday to You!

For more Dr. Seuss pictures, check out our Picasa album.

“Because, after all,
a person’s a person,
no matter how small.”

Horton Hears a Who!

A Few February Activities

2011-02-22T14:29:00.000-06:00

February is a busy month in the classrooms: we celebrated 100 days of school, Chinese New Year, and participated in a Give Love project. We had great participation!

Here are a few pictures of our kids celebrating Chinese New Year. We had to celebrate a little late, as the snow days kept us at home on the real holiday!

Each site participates in a Give Love program during February. For the last three years, Crossover has collected stuffed animals and visited Scottish Rite Hospital to pass them out to the patients there. It is important to us to teach our children to give back to the community, and they really enjoy it! The kids also really liked seeing all the sights at the hospital--they have a lot of big fish tanks and kid-friendly artwork and sculptures. When they finished passing out their stuffed animals, they sang a few songs in the atrium. Here are a few pictures:

Water Damage Forces Three Classrooms to Close

2011-02-16T12:21:00.003-06:00

Water damage has forced the closure of our Wesley Rankin location in West Dallas for the remainder of 2011. The Wesley-Rankin Community Center which housed our center suffered severe building damage due to a water pipe breakage during the extreme cold weather in Dallas two weeks ago. Mi Escuelita's Wesley-Rankin location included offices and three classrooms for 55 preschoolers.

We are very heart broken about this tragedy. Continuing their education is very important for the children's preparation for kindergarten, so we have made every effort to move the students to one of our other five preschool locations. We feel strongly that each child should remain in school. Fortunately, we have room at our other centers to accommodate our students. Our Crossover and St. Matthew's locations have each added a classroom to their site and our Cockrell Hill location is gaining new students in existing classrooms as well.

While insurance will pay for a portion of the damages suffered, Mi Escuelita must raise $50,000 to replace classroom and office equipment, teaching supplies, and office and classroom furnishings. Unfortunately, because the school and community center were closed due to the snow and ice, the problem was only discovered by a passerby who noticed water pouring out of the building's front door. The pipes broke on the second floor, flooding our first-floor classrooms from the top down, which caused damage in addition to the standing water. Books were ruined, all the charts and pictures on the wall were damaged, cabinets and puzzles left in water became warped. One of the worst losses was our teachers' curriculum books, filled with notes, ideas, examples and resources gathered over the years.

How you can help:

Donate school supplies or organize a donations drive at your workplace or school. We need to replace school supplies in all three of those classrooms.

Needed items: paper goods (toilet paper, paper towels, dixie cups, kleenex), copy paper, construction paper, manila paper, craft materials like pipe cleaners, googly eyes, crayons, markers, spiral notebooks, tempera paint
For more information on needs, contact Caroline Smiley at csmiley@miescuelita.org

Share this story by linking to this blog post or connecting with us via facebook or twitter. The more people that know, the more that can help.
Stay connected with us, as we have new needs come up, we will be sure to share with the Mi Escuelita community.

Pictures of the Wesley Rankin water damage can be seen on our Picasa site.

January Overview

2011-02-07T10:22:00.000-06:00

At the end of each month, our teachers, Site Managers and Family Advocates put together an overview, which our Program Director, Prerna Richards, sends out. Each site usually recognizes one of their classrooms, or they send pictures of all the different activities that happened during the previous month. It's a great way to stay connected with all the different classrooms!

Crossover would like to recognize Class 3 this month. As we talk about the new year and new beginnings, it reminds us of Ms. Gonzales in Class 3 who is new this year, and doing a great job learning from her mentor and lead teacher, Ms. Negron. They make a great pair! They showed off their teamwork skills by being the first ones to finish the Lap 3 assessments, and their classroom always displays lots of varied activities, including a lot of parental support!

Cockrell Hill would like to recognize Ms. Cano's class this month. She has started implementing the Second Step program, a program designed to promote social competence and reduce social-emotional problems. She has put up Second Step posters around the classroom and the children play around the posters, talk to the posters, and act out what the posters reflect. It's a very neat program! If you are interested in learning more, check it out here. In Mrs. Martinez's class, the children had been learning about Eric Carle and reading his books. She was very surprised when the children told her that they had seen Eric Carle, and that he was here, over by the computers! She went to look and found our nutritionist, Geary Laird. The children were very convinced he was Eric Carle because he looked very much like the pictures they had seen of him.

Here's a picture of our nutritionist, Geary, doing a presentation to the kids:

And here's a picture of Eric Carle:

I can definitely see the resemblance!

At Bethany, the children are really enjoying their new math activities. They have particularly enjoyed the shape finder--they walk all around the classroom identifying different shapes! They also enjoyed sorting canned food and discussing what was in each can, whether it was a fruit or a vegetable, and which ones they liked best. When we had snow a few weeks ago, the children went outside to feel the snow and discovered ice as well! They brought some snow and ice inside and monitored it melting with their new thermometer.

Buckner would like to highlight Mrs. Cross's classroom. They are learning about different types of animals and how to make bubbles.The children even learned how to milk a cow and what it feels like. Mrs. Cross made a prediction chart to ask the children open-ended questions about this topic, and some of the children responded that after milking the cow, they would buy the milk from the store and make pancakes! Last week the children learned all about different kinds of animals--zoo animals, farm animals and wild animals. They had fun with activities that reinforced what they were learning by sorting the animals according to size and other criteria. They also did a science activity where they learned how to make bubbles and made a chart showing which brand of soap made the best bubbles. We recently celebrated National Hug Day and the teachers had a competition to see who could give and receive the most hugs. Mrs. Cross won with 89 hugs in one day!

St. Matthew's had a new volunteer Foster Grandparent start in January--Ms. Dominguez. The children love having her and interacting with her and all the volunteers at St. Matthew's! It is fun for them to get so much extra attention from the volunteers. This month St. John's Episcopal School's 5th graders came to do math activities with our students, which was very enjoyable and educational! St. Matthew's would like to recognize Ms. Silva and Ms. Duran's class for always having such varied and creative activities always ready in advance in a very clean, organized and fun classroom!

No update from Wesley Rankin this month, but we'll catch up with them at the end of February. Great job to all our teachers and staff! Hope you enjoyed this peek into classroom life!

The Holidays at Mi Escuelita!

2011-01-12T10:48:00.003-06:00

Wow! It's hard to believe that the holidays have already come and gone and here we are in a new year! The three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas were, per usual, packed with activity at Mi Escuelita. We had sixteen volunteer groups come to our different centers to make the holidays special for our children and we want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of them for their hard work to make those volunteer events successful, as well as share a deep appreciation for the time and effort they spent to share with our children.

You can see all the pictures from the different groups here on our Picasa site: http://picasaweb.google.com/miescuelitapreschool

The Highlight Reel:
December kicked off with an extremely well-organized event put on by Deloitte at our Cockrell Hill campus. They shared lessons about diversity and multicultural holiday celebrations which was a great lesson enjoyed by all. The kids had a particularly fun time playing bingo with the volunteers and making wreaths out of their hand prints!

Next up was Capital One at our St. Matthew's campus. They made reindeer by tracing shoes, read books about Frosty the Snowman, and even danced around to get all the wiggles out. Our children made fast friends with the 15 Capital One volunteers that came to visit!

Estrada Hinojosa brought 6 volunteers to our Buckner campus to share Christmas stories, decorate ornaments and eat holiday snacks. The put out quite a spread for our children! The classes all got together and sang Feliz Navidad to thank the volunteers for coming to spend time with them.

Hein & Associates also came to visit, bringing about 15 volunteers to our Cockrell Hill campus. They decorated cups for the children to take home and got to interact in the classroom doing holiday activities. This was the second year that they have come to visit in December.

The next week, we had a visit from St. John's Episcopal School's 5th graders. Their fifth grade classes have been coming to visit our St. Matthew's campus all semester but this time all the classes came at once. It was a crazy, fun-packed morning filled with activities and calisthenic dancing to get our energy out! They played Dreidel; Elf, Elf, Santa; made snowman, and read books together.

The next day, Crow Holdings and Monticello West came to visit our Crossover campus. Crow Holdings brought coloring books and crayons for the children to take home, and each of our classes performed for the volunteers. The parents also brought hot chocolate, arroz con leche and empanadas for the volunteers to try. Monticello West is a retirement home that comes to visit every Christmas. The children enjoyed singing to them!

Our next visit was from McGladrey at our Bethany campus. The volunteers helped them make stockings and Santa--the children really enjoyed using the glitter and the cotton for the arts and crafts! Then they played musical chairs and brought presents for the children. It was a very fun day!

Later that afternoon, the DFW HOLA chapter of Bank of America visited our Crossover campus and brought Santa! Santa delivered toys to all the children while the volunteers shared snacks and read books with the children. The children were amazed that HOLA went all the way to the North Pole to bring Santa to visit!

On the Thursday before school let out for the holidays, the Texas Instruments Christmas Angels came to both our Bethany and Buckner location to deliver presents they had brought for the children. The TI readers have been volunteering at Mi Escuelita for more years than we can count and every Christmas they come to visit with presents in hand. We appreciate their continued support!

Capital One's Hispanic Associates Network came to our Crossover campus to read to the children. This group visits the children quarterly, so it was fun to share one of our last days before the break with them. They brought donations as well as lunch for the staff, which was greatly appreciated! Our teachers work so hard they deserve to celebrate as well. Thank you Capital One!

On the last day of school before the holidays, we had our annual holiday visit from Elaine Johnson at our Bethany campus, Hein & Associates sent another group of volunteers to our Wesley Rankin campus, and Comerica came to our parent program at Buckner and managed to bring Santa with them! The kids and parents had a blast seeing Santa!

We enjoyed having so many people come visit our children in December. We really appreciate the time that it took for you to come, and we hope that it gave you a sense of how important these children and their education are. There are so many ways that you can help make a difference in these children's lives throughout the year, from coming to work with the children, to prep-work for the teachers, to attending or helping organize events, to simply being an advocate for Mi Escuelita and early childhood education.

THANK YOU!
Bank of America HOLA
BOMA
Capital One and the Hispanic Associates Network
Comerica
Crow Holdings
Deloitte
Dieste
Elaine Johnson
Estrada Hinojosa
Hein & Associates
Monticello West
Meadowbrook School
McGladrey
St. John's Episcopal School
Texas Instruments Christmas Angels

The One Day in a Hundred Years

2011-01-11T16:25:00.000-06:00

Today is January 11th, 2011. Abbreviated, that's 1-11-11, a nice series of ones that happens once every hundred years. A day like today that translates into 1s, begs for a consideration of all things that are equal to one. We at Mi Escuelita Preschool are taking a moment to consider how important the number 1 is to us and to the mission our organization undertakes everyday in our classrooms.

Being that 1 is the first number in mathematics, it’s no surprise that it’s the first number that most children learn in life and at Mi Escuelita it’s a starting point for early math proficiency in our students. The number 1 also signifies singularity, which is a concept that children learn quickly in early development as the “self” becomes the first significant aspect of communicating with the world. At Mi Escuelita we strive to make sure each child has a unique learning experience in our classrooms and that their individual needs are met, whether those needs are academic or otherwise. Still, Mi Escuelita takes this a step further. Each child that walks through our doors is an individual, however, an important component of a quality preschool experience is providing healthy examples of a sense of community and proper social behavior. Youngsters at the preschool age are impressionable, and at Mi Escuelita we teach them early on that there is room in their small worlds for both a sense of individuality and being a part of a family.

The number 1 is often thought of as being a ranking; everyone wants to be number 1. Mi Escuelita Preschool is no different in that naturally we want to be considered among the top choices a parent has when they are choosing proven, quality preschool education. What sets Mi Escuelita apart from any other non-profit organization who strives for first place, is our serious, research driven approach to finding out what works best in childhood development, focusing first and foremost on language intervention. Being number 1 means being ahead of the pack and Mi Escuelita is proud of the facts that define us as a contender for that role, such as the fact that out of 2500+ day cares and preschools in Dallas, only 32 are nationally accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and 6 of those 32 are Mi Escuelita campuses.

Everything starts with 1, such as the one single idea to teach English to one classroom of non-English speaking children that blossomed into an award winning non-profit organization serving hundreds of children city wide. Despite the ever growing need for more programs like ours here in Dallas, Mi Escuelita finds that on days such as today, focusing on the most basic element of our mission is crucial; Teaching English…one child at a time. Even just one child’s educational success is a testament to the possibilities that Mi Escuelita’s classrooms offer. One child.

Today, in the spirit of celebrating our mission of teaching English, one child at a time, Mi Escuelita would like you to be among the first to know about “Alex’s Journey”, a web series of videos that will begin appearing on our website this month. These video shorts will focus on a current, first year Mi Escuelita student, Alex, who is learning English and becoming a part of the Mi Escuelita Family. Starting from the very first day of school, this documentary-style web series will give you have a unique opportunity to follow Alex on his educational journey and find out for yourself why Mi Escuelita is the number one preschool for Dallas children to excel in. Through real classroom footage, interviews with parents and teachers and monthly updates to the series, we hope to tell a compassionate and honest story of what modern preschool education looks like at Dallas’s best kept secret, Mi Escuelita Preschool.

On this day of 1s, Mi Escuelita invites you to frequently check out our website, bookmark our Youtube and Vimeo channels and sign up for our mailing list so that you will be the first to know when the premiere video in the “Alex’s Journey” series is on the web. This online experience is a first for Mi Escuelita Preschool and it’s a chance for us to share the precious, everyday moments of classroom life that continuously fuel our passion for our work. Watching a child grasp a concept for the first time in class, or encouraging them to make their first friend outside of the family home, or being there to experience their first educational success…these are firsts that should not be missed.

The Month of November at Mi Escuelita

2010-11-30T11:08:00.000-06:00

Bethany: November was a community involvement month! There were so many wonderful presentations that exposed our children to various interesting topics. The Museum of Nature and Science came and presented about stars. They set up a planetarium using a dome tent and the children were really amazed. All the teachers kept hearing was "Wow!" The children took a trip to the moon, saw stars, observed sunrise and sunset and located star patterns in the sky. Children were also introduced to dental health by Jason from Metroplex Dental Care, and he was very impressed with all that the children knew about taking care of their teeth. Also, our health support staff, Patricia and Daisey, did a wonderful presentation on hand washing.

Cockrell Hill: They had a Harvest Dessert Contest and the winners were:
1st Place--Mrs. Rodriguez; 2nd place--Mrs. Martinez; and 3rd place--Ms. Lopez.
Honorable mention goes to Ms. Graciano--her cake had a lot of personality.
Congratulations to the winners and thanks to the judges; Phillip and Lindsay. Frito Lay visited the children with Chester the Cheetah and brought coats for a few children. Mrs. Martinez and Mrs. Flores's classroom took a trip to Hawaii. Children had their passports, beach wear, and money to spend while there. They sure enjoyed their plane ride! Mrs. Rodriguez and Mrs.Fernandez had some Indians living in their classroom in a teepee.

Wesley Rankin: This month was filled with wonderful events! Prestonwood Christian Academy volunteers came and a fabulous time was had by all making dream catchers with the children, which was a great way for the children to learn about Native American culture. The children also did a reenactment of the original Thanksgiving for the volunteers. Texas Winds came and taught the children about the piano and cello. Their new favorite song is one they learned about the piano. The Museum of Nature and Science came as well and did an awesome presentation on magnets called “Magnet Mania.” The children learned so much and it was so cool to watch them as they discovered everything magnets can do. The staff would particularly like to thank Patricia, Daisey and Mr. Geary for doing wonderful presentations for the children. They did an awesome job!

St. Matthews: The month started off with the children having their pictures taken. Later, fifth graders from St. John’s Episcopal School came and did a science experiment with the children. It was gooey and fun! Mr. Geary did a presentation on nutrition for the children and also spoke to the parents about nutrition during their parent meeting, which was greatly appreciated. The children sang Thanksgiving songs for the parents who attended the meeting. The party really got started when the volunteers from Prestonwood Christian Academy arrived! They did face painting, reading, and lots of interacting with the children. Ms. Silva and Mrs. Duran’s classroom had a dance party going on, complete with flashing lights and music filling the room. Everyone was dancing to children’s music. Patricia and Daisey also did their hand washing presentation for the children of St. Matthew's. They did an amazing job and really got the point across. The Museum of Nature and Science did the “Magnet Mania” presentation here as well. The hands-on activities with different types of magnets intrigued the children. Last but not least, the children shared a Thanksgiving lunch with a member of their family and everyone got plenty of turkey! Someone posted an “Eat Ham” sign but it clearly had no effect.

Crossover: November has been a short and exiting month at Crossover. This month they would like to highlight the fathers, uncles, grandfathers, great-grandfather and older brothers that attended the “Bring Dad to School Day” today. These men came into the classroom and made hats, turkey hand prints and dream catchers with the children. It was great seeing them interacting with the children. They would also like to say a huge thank you to Patricia and Daisey for their hand-washing presentation--the children are still talking about it!

Buckner: The month started with Lifetouch taking holiday portraits of the students. Texas Winds came out and exposed the children to classical music. Our “Bring a Dad to Lunch” Thanksgiving meal was success; we had over 50 fathers, grandfathers and male role models show up for the event and the children were ecstatic! Our guest speaker, Mr. Henry Jackson of Buckner Children and Family Services, shared a powerful motivational message for the males that attended and some of the mothers volunteered to serve the participants. To close off the month, our special services specialist will speak at our parent meeting about “Child Discipline and Guidance”. We have also invited Bryan’s Place Dental to share a little about what services they have available at their clinic for our community. This month they would like to highlight Class 1, where the children learned about Thanksgiving. They learned about the Pilgrims coming from England in a ship called the Mayflower and how the Indians showed the Pilgrims how to plant seeds and hunt turkeys. They also learned that the Pilgrims wore black hats while the Indians wore headdresses with feathers.

Thanks for stepping inside our classrooms!

October Overview

2010-11-01T12:30:00.001-05:00

Every month Mi Escuelita's Program Director compiles stories from each of our six sites and puts them all together for an overview of activities that happened in the last month. This month in particular we had a lot of groups of volunteers, one of which helped us put on a huge Field Day at our Buckner location. We bused all the children from all the sites to Buckner to celebrate. Thanks so much to our Executive Director, Gayle Nave, for putting it all together! Everyone had a great time!

Take a look inside our classrooms:

Buckner: This month they had a group of volunteers from Texas Instruments read in the classrooms and help spread the woodchips in the playground, a much needed job! Thank you volunteers for doing this for us! The teachers kicked off literacy month with a skit of the Three Little Pigs. We are so proud of the teachers for working together to create such a wonderful program for our students. This month they would like to highlight class 3, Mrs. Eshiett and Mrs. Villareal’s class. The teachers introduced their students to different math concepts such as the difference between small, medium and large, and the children sorted and counted color bears. They also made patterns using shapes. In science, class 3 explored with gadgets and also examined nuts and bolts. They took them apart and found ways to connect them together. They also were able to charge a telephone gadget and reconnect a cord according to the way they thought it could power up a phone. Wow! We have little budding scientists among us!

Bethany: October was full of learning at Bethany! They had the Museum of Nature and Science come and do a presentation for the children involving learning about their body. She had lots of hands-on material--the children really enjoyed putting on a doctors coat, using the telescope, using their senses to find the matching smell! It was great! The fire department brought their fire truck for a presentation and the children tried on a helmet, went inside the fire truck and listened to the sound a fire truck makes when on a call. They also had literacy day where the children performed "The Little Red Hen" and parents made a book with their children, decorated pumpkins and sang finger-play songs with the children. They also had a pumpkin decorating contest and their volunteer reader Mr. David got to select the winners. Texas Instruments Facilities group also came out to fix Bethany's leaking roof, trim trees and install new shelves. A huge thank you to them! Last but not least, Mrs. Rodriguez would like to wish Mrs. Espinoza a very happy birthday!

Our Teachers in Little Red Riding Hood

St. Matthews: It has been a very busy month at St. Matthew’s! The teachers did a “Bring a Book to Life” performance for the children and acted out “Little Red Riding Hood”. Ms. Romero did a great job of acting like the BIG BAD WOLF! The Dallas Museum came to do their “City Critters” presentation which kept the children very attentive! Everyone was excited to see the big, red fire truck pull up to our school! The Dallas Fire Rescue squad introduced the different parts of a fire truck, dressed up in fire fighting gear, and answered questions for the children. Class 1 (Ms. Silva/Mrs. Duran) made some very creative and edible fire trucks. Next, Mr. Herrin’s advisory fifth graders from St. John’s Episcopal School came to act out fairy tales for the children. The children did an awesome job of acting out fairy tales for their parents. They knew their lines and played their parts like pros!

St. John's 5th Graders Acting Out Fairy Tales

Cockrell Hill: The Museum of Nature and Science presented “Basic Engineers”; Bear Creek Dental Bear visited the children and talked about dental hygiene; and Cockrell Hill police showed the children how to dial 911 and talked about what an emergency is. Also, Northwood University students came out twice to volunteer in the classrooms and the Ursuline and Jesuit students started coming. For their "Bring a Book to Life" celebration, the teachers presented “Little Red Riding Hood” to the children. They are having good parent participation at the center and with homework!

Face Painting at the Fairy Tale Ball

Wesley Rankin: Wesley Rankin has had a very busy October that has been filled with so many awesome events! They had a very successful Literacy Night on October 8th where the parents enjoyed doing activities with their children in every classroom. I think the parents had more fun then the children! :) The classrooms brought a book to life and it was just fabulous. They did such a wonderful job and the children were just adorable. After that the gym was turned into a "Fairy Tale Ball" where the children enjoyed activities like bowling, musical chairs, face painting, ball toss and much more. It was so much fun and even more fun to watch the kids have a blast as they ran around in their cute costumes.

Our Parents as Actors

Crossover: Wow! October was a very exciting month here at Crossover. At the beginning of the month our very talented teachers presented “Jack in the Beanstalk” to kick-off the literacy month. The children's parents decided to join in the fun by acting out “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” and “Little Red Riding Hood”. It is so impressive to see our parents taking on acting to celebrate "Bring a Book to Life" as well! Hopefully we are bringing the joy of literacy to the entire family not just our students. To close Literacy Month with a BANG the children presented various books. All the children did a wonderful job, but they would particularly like to applaud the “Rocking Performance” by Class 4 in the “Three Little Pigs.” Also a Special Thank You to Caroline and Mark Davidson from Frito Lay for helping beautify our school. Frito Lay had 38 volunteers who planted flowers, painted two classrooms, fixed closet doors, and donated landscaping/maintenance equipment such as a lawn mower, weed eater, blower and other garden tools!! Frito Lay--you are GREATLY appreciated!

That's all for this month!

Volunteer Kickoff!

2010-08-25T16:42:00.000-05:00

Were you a volunteer last year? Are you interested in volunteering with Mi Escuelita this upcoming year? Or do you just want to hear more about what we do and how you can get involved?
Join us on Wednesday September 1st from 12-1pm at our 4231 Maple location for lunch and learning about Mi Escuelita!

New, interested, and returning volunteers are invited for lunch and a brief orientation and training session, as well as the opportunity to sign up for the location and days of your preference.

Returning volunteers, we would love for you to attend so you can hear about new things going on at Mi Escuelita and also so you can share your experiences with new volunteers. Or bring a friend to hear about Mi Escuelita!

New and interested volunteers, we would love for you to attend and hear more about what volunteering at Mi Escuelita is like. There is no obligation to become a volunteer after attending.

If you can attend, please RSVP to csmiley@miescuelita.org. If you cannot attend and would like to set up an evening time or another day to meet, please let me know and we will accommodate you.

Directions:
We are located on the campus of Iglesia Bautista Ebenezer on the corner of Wycliff and Douglas. We will be meeting in their fellowship hall, which is directly off the front parking lot. There is additional parking behind the church, off of Douglas.

Graduation Pictures!

2010-06-16T11:48:00.000-05:00

The end of the school year has come and gone and we are officially into summer! Our school year culminated with six beautiful graduation ceremonies ushering 245 of our students into kindergarten. Congratulations to all the teachers, parents and children that made this year a success! You can find pictures of some of the graduations on our Picasa web site listed below. Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/miescuelitapreschool?fgl=true&pli=1

The Month of May at Mi Escuelita

2010-06-15T11:23:00.000-05:00

Curious about all the activities that go on at Mi Escuelita? Every month the site staff and our Program Director put together an overview of all the month's activities so that everyone at Mi Escuelita can know what's going on at all the sites and share in each other's accomplishments and joys. We wanted to invite you in to share with us as well. Here's a look at some of the things going on in the month of May!

Bethany: Children celebrated Cinco de Mayo with dress-up clothes and dances like the raspa. For Mothers' Day, the mothers got a Mary Kay make-over with the help of Ms. Cherle Moore Young and the children read a poem and sang a song for their moms. Mrs. Garcia and Daisy did a very engaging presentation on Stranger Danger. The Dallas Arboretum came out to teach the children about the life cycle of a butterfly, and last but not least Texas Instruments volunteers helped by installing a new wooden fence for the playground. A message from Ms. Rodriguez to the children going on to kindergarten, “You will be missed but I know in my heart you will succeed where ever you are because you have the love from the teachers, parent, and staff of Mi Escuelita with you.”

Crossover: As we come to the end of this year Ms. Castillo begins to realize that she would have never been able to survive working as Site Manager at Crossover if it wasn’t for two very special people. Sometimes we overlook them and do not let them know how much we appreciate them. Ms. Castillo would like to recognize and thank the Family Advocates, Angeles Hernandez-Sierra and Diana Segovia, for making this one of the best learning years she has had. “With their help I was able to see how much they are doing to make Mi Escuelita run smoothly. They help many families at Mi Escuelita without even realizing that they are making a big difference in their lives. I admire their sense of humor whenever we get frustrated. They are wise in every aspect of their work and eager to help anyone when needed. Thank you Angeles and Diana--you have made it fun to come to work and I appreciate everything both of you have done!”

Buckner - The parents prepared a scrumptious luncheon for the teachers and staff for Teacher/Staff Appreciation. The teachers and children have been preparing for the Graduation/End of the Year Ceremony. The teachers have created some cool bulletin boards. Very creative! Buckner staff would like to send a shout out to all of our volunteers! The Foster Grandparents have worked especially hard this year to help in the classrooms! Buckner administration would like to recognize all of the teachers for their dedication and hard work during the 2009-2010 school year. We did it….Lo hicimos!!!

Wesley Rankin: The month started with an incredible Cinco de Mayo presentation that all the children participated in. Tons of parents and family members came to see the children dressed up in ethnic Mexican clothing and perform wonderful songs. It was just beautiful! Then Wesley Rankin had the pleasure of the Dallas Fire Department coming to visit us, where the children had the opportunity to see inside an ambulance, but this was not the best part! All the children got to see Jessica transform into a firewoman, wearing the full fire fighter outfit, mask and all!  Check out the pictures, you are sure to enjoy! They ended the year with such a magnificent graduation, it was truly beautiful! Jessica would like to thank all the Wesley Rankin staff for helping put on such an awesome graduation. You ladies rock! Also the staff of Wesley Rankin would like to thank Phillip and Caroline for coming and helping on such a hectic day, you guys are the best!

St. Matthews: The children celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a traditional dance and the parents showed the children how to make homemade tortillas. This month the children are focusing on the themes: sea animal, aquarium, under the sea and learning all about the Hawaiian culture. They are enjoying the beach props in their dramatic areas and building castles, and fishing in the sand/water table.

Cockrell Hill: The teachers planned a special presentation for the Jesuit Volunteers on their last day. Our children sang for them and the volunteers described their experience at our center with the children. For Teachers' Appreciation Week the office staff brought treats each day for our teachers and the parents in each class wrote a card for them. On Mothers' Day our teachers prepared a delicious breakfast for all the mothers and each class sang a special song for them. This week is Fun Week for the children: we had pajama day, tacky day, water day (the children had lots of fun yesterday), and the Arboretum did a presentation for our children. Today our children and staff had a farewell party for Maxie Moore, the church’s pastor. The children sang for her and presented her with a special thanks award. We will miss her! It has been a great partnership with the church since she has been the pastor. We wish her all the best in her future!

As we say goodbye to our graduating children I would like to wish them all the best in life and thank their teachers for getting them ready to succeed in kindergarten. I would like to end the overview for this year by a couple of quotes that Buckner teachers posted on their bulletin boards.

Ms. Negrete and Ms. Arredando’s class

If you plan for a year, plant a seed. If for ten years, plant a tree. If for a hundred years, teach the people. When you sow a seed once, you will reap a single harvest. When you teach people, you will reap a hundred harvests. By Kuang Chang

Ms. Arrellano and Ms. Urbina’s class

When I was small I was afraid

The teacher helped me, and art I made

I splashed in water, collected worms.

Never knowing how much I learned.

Pretending how to put out a fire

I was a princess, crown of bended wire

I practiced how to write my name

And soon enough it brought me fame!

This was the greatest place to grow.

Now off to kindergarten I will go

My head held high

I will try not to cry.

By Teri

Thank you everyone for an awesome school year! We have worked, played, and learned from each other. It is a true blessing to work with each one of you. You have displayed great team work, dedication and passion for your work. Have a save and restful summer!

Until next year!

Prerna Richards

Program Director

May 27, 2010

Week of the Young Child

2010-04-19T10:02:00.000-05:00

Last week, April 11th through 17th, was the Week of the Young Child (WOYC). Celebrations were in full-swing at Mi Escuelita, culminating in a carnival for our students and their parents on Friday. While it was a week of fun on campus, one of the main objectives of WOYC is to spotlight the needs of young children and their families. The mission of Mi Escuelita aims to teach English to children from all cultures and to prepare them for academic success. Reaching this goal presents several obstacles that our community must combat. Some of the issues facing the preschool include:
-Limited English proficiency at home.
-Living at or below the federal poverty line.
-No family history of educational attainment.

Although these barriers certainly challenge our staff and our teachers, in partnership with the community, we have begun to surmount them. So, when you smile at pictures of our children donning their bunny slippers and bathrobe for Pajama Day (Monday), remember that our children need continued access to high-quality early childhood programs, like Mi Escuelita. After all, we can either invest now in our children and enjoy a more vibrant nation of healthy, achieving children. Or we can fail to make the investment and pay the price: increased delinquency, greater educational failures, lowered productivity, less economic competitiveness, and fewer adults prepared to be effective, loving parents to the next generation of children.

A Day in the Life of a Volunteer

2010-04-19T09:03:00.000-05:00

I am a student at SMU and I volunteer at Mi Escuelita 2-4 hours a week. I really enjoy my time at Mi Escuelita because of the kids, staff, and opportunities that I have to get involved and help out. I come in the afternoons after the kids wake up from their naps. The kids slowly roll off of their cots and are not quite awake when I get there but after a snack they are jumping with energy! I love the interaction with the kids and helping them with small projects. The main purpose of volunteering at Mi Escuelita is to help the kids practice speaking English. It is also great practice for me because I get to practice listening and understanding Spanish to help them learn the English words. For example I was cutting out lady bugs one day and some of the kids in the class came to the table and wanted to cut also so they decided to cut out some hearts. One little girl asked me to draw her a “Corazon” so that she could cut it out and I said “a heart?” She was confused until I drew the heart and pointed at it saying “heart” and I had her practice saying the word. She got it after pronouncing the word a few times and now every time we cut out hearts I always have her practice saying “heart”.
After the kids play inside for a little while at their different play stations, we then go outside. The kids love playing out doors because they can finally run around! They enjoy taking turns on the swings so I help by pushing them. I am trying to teach them how to pump their legs and swing by themselves. It is quite a task for kids their age and I have forgotten how it is something that is learned and not a natural movement. I also try to help the children practice saying please. When I push them on the swings I have them say please to ask for me to push them. At first they were confused by the idea and could not remember the word but afterwards they figured out that when they said please I would push them. I love watching the kids learn at Mi Escuelita. The school is run very well and all of the teachers and staff are helpful, sweet, and always trying their best. If you love children and volunteering, I would definitely recommend Mi Escuelita.

Post written by Gloria Steinke, Mi Escuelita volunteer from SMU.

A Volunteer's Perspective

2010-04-06T10:59:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I mentioned the butterfly effect. The metaphor may seem trite (read: there’s even an Ashton Kutcher movie thus entitled), but it certainly encapsulates the experience and impact of a volunteer at Mi Escuelita. The crew of dedicated volunteers contributes so much, but at times, the individual’s work feels so tiny – like the flutter of butterfly’s wing. When I think back to my first afternoon in the classroom reading stories, I can only marvel at these alacritous and ambitious kids. They switch from Spanish to English as easily as they do a silent nap to raucous play. I find the children’s spirit and their growth truly remarkable. The cynic’s assessment that helping a teacher hang the students’ latest art project represents tedium more than progress is, however, irrefutably contravened by the number of big hugs from tiny arms. To the kids (and the teachers and the staff), it’s these little things that not only make a big difference, but make all the difference.
Interested in making a difference? Check out volunteer opportunities here: http://www.miescuelita.org/volunteer.php

This post was contributed by Sarah Stinnett, a Mi Escuelita volunteer from Southern Methodist University.

Spring Time at Mi Escuelita

2010-03-31T09:27:00.001-05:00

It’s spring time at Mi Escuelita, and though we may have lost an hour, the teachers haven’t lost a step! Each of the five classes has just started a three-week unit on a different friend from nature. In Mrs. Espinoza’s class, the students are learning about caterpillars and their metamorphosis into butterflies. On Monday morning, I read Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar to the kids to kick off their studies. What a throwback! I remember that book from my preschool days (only 17 years ago!). Aside from being a cute story with even cuter illustrations, the book teaches the days of the week, counting, and nutrition. The youngsters were keen to learn more about the fuzzy critters, so Mrs. Espinoza presented a beautifully drawn life cycle of the butterfly to engage scientific thinking skills. Other fun activities in the unit include rainbow caterpillar paintings and butterfly masks. It’s great to see the students ‘buggy’ about biology. The ‘butterfly effect’ has definitely hit Mi Escuelita!

This post was written by Sarah Stinnett, a Mi Escuelita volunteer from Southern Methodist University.

Passport to Mexico - A Summer Camp for Preschoolers

2010-03-10T11:04:00.005-06:00

This summer children will take an imaginative trip to Mexico and be exposed to the language, customs and traditions of the Mexican culture. Mi Escuelita Preschool and The Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico are joining forces to bring more than sixty years of combined teaching experience to preschool aged children at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church and lead them on an exciting educational journey south of the border. The program is open to all children in the community.

Four days a week for three weeks in July, children ages 4 through 6 will participate in a fun-filled, educational half-day preschool program that will allow children to appreciate the diverse culture in which we live. The exciting program will expose children to:

· Language introduction focusing on beginner vocabulary and conversational Spanish taught by the accredited Mi Escuelita Preschool teachers
· An introduction to Mexican folk dance, music and theatre provided by the renowned artists of the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico
· An introduction to the cultural arts and crafts of Mexico

The program will culminate in a grand performance for family, friends and the entire community. Space is limited so enroll your child now at http://www.miescuelita.org/summer_program.php.

The 20 x 20 Campaign

2010-02-09T12:46:00.001-06:00

Ask at least 20 of your friends to donate at least $20 to Mi Escuelita. $400 will match a low income parent's monthly tuition payment and keep their child in school at Mi Escuelita. Just cut and paste the paragraphs below into an email and you are on your way to changing a child's life forever.

I'm on a mission. My goal is to raise at least $20 from 20 friends today!

Mi Escuelita Preschool is an efficient, strong organization that teaches English to children of all cultures so they will excel in school and graduate from high school. In a time when high school dropout rates exceed 60% in Dallas, Mi Escuelita stands tall in the battle against illiteracy and educational mediocrity. It helps children overcome the language barrier and prepares them to succeed in school. Unfortunately, the economy has taken its toll on everyone and Mi Escuelita is no exception. Costs continue to increase while donations have declined. Classroom spots are empty as parents are challenged to pay even the lowest of tuition fees. Simply put, parents need scholarship assistance.

I am a strong supporter of Mi Escuelita's and I hope that you will join me by investing in this wonderful school. Mi Escuelita is making a dramatic impact on the lives of hundreds of children today. Will you partner with me to help them?

Please go to Donate to Mi Escuelita and to make your gift and help change a life.

Thank you so much.

Mi Escuelita Society is Hosting a Valentine's Social!

2010-01-22T15:07:00.001-06:00

Fall in love with Mi Escuelita Tuesday, February 9 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Chocolate Secrets.

Network with other Dallas professionals who share your interest in making a positive impact in our community.

Find out how YOU can make a difference in the lives of children: volunteer to read your favorite children's stories over lunch, share your talent in the classroom, front office or on a special project, or make a financial commitment to help children at Mi Escuelita succeed.

$20 at the door gets you 2 gourmet chocolates, a glass of wine, coffee and tea, and 10% off all purchases from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Proceeds will benefit the Carolyn Strickland Education Fund.

We look forward to seeing you Tuesday, February 9th!

Chocolate Secrets
3926 Oak Lawn Avenue
Dallas, TX 75219-4606
(214) 252-9801
map

Constant Contact User? Save Mi Escuelita Money!

2010-01-22T14:37:00.000-06:00

Like many other companies, we use Constant Contact to keep our friends updated about what's going on at Mi Escuelita through emails. It's a service that we find very useful, and we'd like your help to get it for free!

Constant Contact has a program called Cares4Kids, where any paying customer of Constant Contact can sponsor any non-profit agency that meets the following criteria:

Provides literacy, arts or educational programs for children or
Helps children develop and promote entrepreneurial skills or
Supports after-school programs

It looks like Mi Escuelita qualifies! Now we just need a sponsor. If your company uses Constant Contact, please considering sponsoring Mi Escuelita. It's an easy way to support us at no cost to you or your company. All it takes a short online form! Contact Jan Zeigler at jzeigler@miescuelita.org or Caroline Smiley at csmiley@miescuelita.org if you're interested.

For more information, check out their website here: http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/cares4kids.jsp

When Santa is spelled K P M G!

2009-12-09T09:52:00.005-06:00

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!

2009-10-26T09:51:00.009-05:00

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!

2009-09-28T10:01:00.004-05:00

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

2009-09-09T21:01:00.007-05:00

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

2009-06-16T10:51:00.001-05:00

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.