The Center

What We Do

Children ages 4 and 5 attend a half-day preschool program and are provided with school supplies, uniforms and backpacks. Teachers are offered financial support while completing advanced degrees in education. 100% of preschoolers enrolled at the Center successfully move on to elementary school in Bani. Children from La Saona who do not attend preschool rarely go on to school.

Our recent construction project, funded by Boston-based Loomis, Sayles & Company, has allowed us to double the capacity of the educational program. We now serve over 120 students in our pre-school per year. There are six full-time teachers all of whom received their educational training with the support of the Center. The children receive instruction in reading, art, counting, personal care (including oral and dental care), but mostly in collaborative play. The Center provides milk and a healthy snack, which is important as the children rarely receive milk in their homes. Parents pay a nominal fee for the children to attend pre-school. The cost is 250 pesos per month, or approximately $5 per month.