The challenges and success of the Lopez Children’s Center
Published 1:00 pm Saturday, September 22, 2012
By Carole White and Sherry Brummel
Special to the Weekly
Local mom Vanessa and her son Zander recently appeared in a video developed for the Lopez Children’s Center and can be viewed on YouTube.
In the video she states that, “It would be almost impossible to have a job and know my child was taken care of, if the Lopez Children’s Center was not here. He’s learned everything he knows while he has been there, how to interact, play nice; all those good rules.
If the center was not here, I wouldn’t be able to work Monday through Friday to survive and take care of my kids. I wouldn’t be able to work and be out in the community and feel good about myself and have my children feel good about themselves. It would be a drastic change, as I would be stuck at home and possibly need to go on welfare. Having the center is a healthy thing for the whole family.”
Over the years the Children’s Center has faced many challenges; working with children of varying ages, abilities and developmental levels, meeting licensing requirements and operating high quality programs with a limited budget. However, unlike many mainland centers they face the additional challenge of operating in a small community with limited resources and relatively few children.
“Our aim is to be flexible in order to meet the needs of the families, offer quality services and to cover our costs,” said Jane Hobbs, director of the center.
Shanley Lett, LCC Board president, said, “Like so many other early learning centers around the country, LCC is under constant pressure to raise enough funds to support our high-quality programs. The support we receive from United Way and generous community members is very much appreciated and crucial to our continuing success.”
Grant funding from United Way enables the Children’s Center to provide scholarships to families.
Jules McLeland, board member and parent educator for the Cooperative Preschool, acknowledges these challenges, but celebrates the successes of the Children’s Center: “Lopez children play and learn in multi-age classrooms and have a variety of teachers each week.
The staff are experienced and educated in early childhood education, offering high quality, stimulating activities and early learning opportunities for the children.
Growing up on Lopez allows children to be comfortable around adults and all ages of children”
To learn more about the upcoming United Way fund drive and how United Way supports the community visit www.unitedway-sanjuancounty.org.
