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Early Childhood Community Service
A child is never too young to learn to reach out to others through their caring efforts. Pre-k through 2nd grade classes often apply the project learning approach to service projects. They learn that by working together they have the ability to make a difference. By participating in service projects like helping to build a pre-school in South Africa, collecting shoes for orphans in Russia and donating money to buy books for a community library in Bolivia, these students learn that a community is not limited to the borders of its own neighborhood as they reach out to do God’s will half a world away.
- Pre-k and kindergarten students participate in school-wide projects like the donation of food for gift baskets for the Voice of Hope Thanksgiving celebration. Throughout the school year the Pre-K classes collect peanut butter and jelly for St. Simon’s After School Program. This program assists children in low-income areas through an after school care and tutoring program at 15 locations throughout Dallas.
- Kindergarten classes visit assisted living and nursing homes during the year. In October they share their “Noah’s Art” presentation in honor of St. Francis and in December, they bring the gift of Christmas carols and cards to the residents. The kindergarten students have baked goodies and held bake sales, benefiting organizations like Happy Homes in South Africa and Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity.
- First graders incorporate the importance of reading into their outreach projects. The 1st grade classes hold an annual Read-a-Thon. Reading books all day, they raise money for a special cause. For two years they raised money to buy books for a community library in a small village of Bolivia. Knowing that reading opens “window to the future”, they raised and donated money to Dallas Areas Habitat for Humanity to buy windows for the Jubilee House project.
- Second graders realize the joy of reading and know that many children do not own their very own books. Each November they collect gently used books to donate to the Pre-K classes at Dobie Primary School in RISD. The 2nd graders visit Dobie, buddy-up to read to a new friend and then give the books to the children.
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