‘Giving Back’ Community Outreach
The First School takes great pride in our work with the wider community. We model for our children the action of helping others and give them hands-on lessons in how to be considerate of others in need. These are important life-long values, which foster empathy, a sense of community and a greater understanding of our world.
Senior Smiles: Our bi-annual visits to a local senior community is an enriching opportunity for our children to interact with seniors, bridging the gap between generations. Young and old have fun with arts and crafts, face-painting and singing.
Food Drive: For many years the families at The First School have made generous donations to our annual food drive. In the month of November, One Voice, a local foundation, collects our food items and distributes them to needy families at Head Start programs in our area. Children at each campus help to organize the food and load up cars.
Adopt a Family: Individual families and class groups help bring holiday joy to local families in need with this gift drive organized in conjunction with charitable organization Shields for Families. Typically 20 adults and 55 children receive holiday gifts and it’s all made possible by the generous donations from the First School families.
Helping Hands: The First School supports an organized effort to lend a hand to families in the school community that may need assistance during challenging times. The Helping Hands committee is a parent-inspired program run by parent volunteers. Events such as pregnancy, post-partum transitions, illness or hospitalization often become overwhelming. The Helping Hands committee has provided meals, playdates, carpooling and other forms of support to First School families facing such stressful times. One year, the Helping Hands committee organized a blood drive to support the medical treatment of a preschool student. It is our hope that the practical assistance and the sense of community support can provide a bridge in a time when many of us live far from extended family and cannot look to neighbors or other support networks for assistance.
