The multiple advantages of young children attending preschool has propelled archdiocesan and lay leaders spearheading the Cardinal's Awards Dinner to focus on raising funds for early childhood education at low-income parishes.
While the intent of several recent dinners was raising funds for "bricks and mortar" to build churches in disadvantaged areas, last year the focus was changed to support early childhood education.
"Particularly in the areas where we're operating in the inner city, if we can get these kids early on and get them into the mode of life-long learning and enjoyment of learning, this puts them on the path of success," said James Sarni, chair of the 23-member Cardinal's Awards Dinner Committee and managing principal of the global investment management firm Payden & Rygel. "Ultimately they'll be sitting in our chairs, and give back to the community that helped them to become a success."
Archdiocesan and lay leaders have come together around the idea of building preschools in low-income communities.
"The bishops, the Cardinal's Awards Committee, educators and the archdiocesan Department of Catholic Schools saw this as a wonderful thing to focus on," said Msgr. Royale Vadakin, moderator of the curia. "This is seen as a national need."
Indeed, studies widely demonstrate that children from varying social economic communities benefit from preschool.
"Research shows that children who start with a preschool education do better in high school and in college," said Pat Livingston, superintendent of elementary schools in the Department of Catholic Schools. "It's just proven that kids who go to preschool get a better start."
Already there are 68 Catholic preschools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, meaning that 30 percent of Catholic elementary schools now have a preschool. Most serve children ages three to five years old before they enter Kindergarten, and all the preschools are licensed by the State of California.
"We have minimized every risk possible to make sure every child is protected," added Livingston.
However, while middle-class and wealthier communities can afford to create and sustain their own preschools, lower-income communities are unable to do so.
The archdiocesan Education Foundation does offer low-income families tuition assistance in the elementary and high schools. However, leaders involved with the Cardinal's Awards Dinner saw a unique opportunity to fill in a niche of assisting low-income parish communities to create a preschool where previously there hasn't been one.
"In many of those families, the parents need to work to keep their family going," said Livingston. As a result, she said, parents often are unable to provide a lot of the experiences children benefit from by going to preschool like easy access to books, being read to frequently, experiences of a school garden, outside areas that are safe to run and play in and visiting museums. Spanish-speaking children also get an earlier start learning English.
"Children are cared for," said Livingston of the preschools. "Their little bodies and their little minds are given a great environment to grow."
Donors to the Cardinal's Awards Dinner can see to it that these communities have the same advantages of a good preschool education.
Last year the proceeds from the dinner went towards building a preschool at San Antonio de Padua Church in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles. A little more than $1 million was raised which included the generous support of The Ahmanson Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Fund. Three nearby parishes will be served by this preschool which is under construction and set to open its doors in September.
This year the goal is to raise between $700,000 to $800,000 to support San Miguel School in Watts in its efforts to add a preschool and to develop a specialized learning center for young students from preschool through third grade. The Cardinal's Awards Dinner takes place Feb. 9 in the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland (home of the Kodak Theater) in Hollywood.
Focusing on early childhood education allows contributors to maximize the impact of their contributions in low-income communities, added Sarni, a parishioner at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Pasadena.
"The giving community is responding to a critical need throughout the Los Angeles Archdiocese," said Sarni. In light of a national economic environment that is more challenging, "people are continuing to respond as always very generously," he added.
There are a several other advantages of a Catholic preschool important to note, said archdiocesan leaders.
The socialization of young ones is one, said Sister of Charity Mary Elizabeth Galt, archdiocesan chancellor. Today's families are significantly smaller, she noted. "I just think the little ones now don't have as many brothers and sisters," said Sister Galt. "It's really important they learn to play and share and have fun."
Teaching children about their Catholic faith early also is an important advantage. "We also know we'll be bringing their families into the church and evangelizing their families as well," said Livingston. "What's better than to take their child to their parish and to a Catholic preschool where they know their children's faith is going to be nurtured as well as their school readiness."
Preschools help to sustain a vibrant and healthy Catholic school system while also providing critical learning experiences to young ones, said Judy DeRosa Brooks, coordinator of the Cardinal's Awards Dinner.
By introducing parents early to the advantages of a Catholic education, "the preschools are natural feeders to the Catholic schools," she said. For information about the Cardinal's Awards Dinner, call Judy DeRosa Brooks at (213) 637-7636.
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