MAY 20, 2015
Kiwanis Club of Carefree awards $10,000 to Save One Student
NORTH VALLEY – Financially strapped working parents with preschool aged children got a helping hand on Tuesday, May 12, when Bob Swan, President of Kiwanis Club of Carefree presented a $10,000 Kiwanis Club of Carefree Benefit Foundation check to Education & Community Services, a department of Cave Creek Unified School District.
The funds will provide scholarships for underprivileged families of preschoolers. Gina Durbin, ECS Director, accepted the check to much applause during the Cave Creek Unified School District (CCUSD) Governing Board meeting.
"Whenever possible, members of the Kiwanis Club of Carefree try to help kids succeed in life. Every kid, underprivileged or otherwise, has the same potential just waiting to blossom,” said Swan. “We look at the Education & Community Services Save One Student program as helping to level the opportunity playing field, and are happy to support it."
The Save One Student (SOS) Project allows preschool age children who need financial assistance to attend preschool. SOS enables working parents with limited income to have a safe and developmentally stimulating place for their preschoolers while their parents are at work.
Recipients of SOS financial support will attend Child’s Play Preschool, founded in 1988 by Education & Community Services, CCUSD. Historically, a total of 125 to 130 children are enrolled annually in Child’s Play Preschool. Of those, 6 to 15 children have required assistance.
ECS Child’s Play Preschool (for ages 3 to 5) has four locations in the Cave Creek Unified School District serving families in North Phoenix, North Scottsdale, Cave Creek and Carefree. Enrollment in CCUSD is not required.
“Child's Play Preschool believes children should be given an opportunity to create their own knowledge by actively exploring their inside and outside environments,” says Jenny Stahl, ECS Early Childhood Coordinator. “With our low teacher-to-student ratio (1:10), we provide a safe, special place for children and families to grow physically, socially and cognitively through their daily experiences.”
Before and After Care, STEM, Spanish Immersion, A Touch of Chinese Immersion, A Touch of Spanish Immersion, ABC Music and Me, Character Counts, Get Ready to Read, Love and Logic® and Developmental Preschool are offered at various Child’s Play Preschool sites.
There are full and partial financial aid funds available for ECS Child’s Play Preschool, as well as other ECS programs such as Kindergarten Prep, Ramp Up Reading, middle and high school academic retrieval courses, and Super Camp. Payment Plans are also available. Please call 480-575-2440 for more information or visit www.cavecreekpreschool.com.
For information on Kiwanis Club of Carefree, Kiwanis Club of Carefree Benefit Foundation, Inc. and Desert Foothills Key Club, call 480-488-8400 or visit www.kiwaniscarefree.org.
Courtesy Photo by Vickilyn Hussey
