The San Diego Foundation has awarded $13.8 million worth of grants dedicated to strengthening early childhood education opportunities and the health and well-being of the region.
The donations, from San Diego philanthropist Guy Clum, are going to SAY San Diego, Educational Enrichment Systems, San Diego Workforce Partnerships and Mi Escuelita Therapeutic Preschool in Chula Vista.
Mi Escuelita, a therapeutic school for children exposed to domestic violence, serves children and families who have been exposed to trauma and abuse.
The school has specialized staff, teachers and therapists to assist kids who are more likely than their peers to experience a wide range of difficulties that affect their development, education and health due to traumatic events.
"This is a blessing, a wonderful gift to allow us to expand our program," said Pam Wright with South Bay Community Services. "We know what we are doing here is so incredibly important, to be able to start the healing process, which is going to change their life forever and we’re not going to have to put that money into serving them in some of the other systems."
South Bay Community Services runs the preschool and said the money will go to adding more classrooms and hiring more certified teachers, therapists, and case managers.
"We’re here collaboratively as a community to work with these kids so that they are not going to show up in the juvenile justice system, they are not going to show up with drugs and alcohol at traffic victims and even on into adulthood, that they are not going to show up in our adult prisons," said Wright.
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Children are referred to Mi Escuelita Preschool by local law enforcement, Child Welfare Services, domestic violence programs, various community-based organizations and SBCS emergency shelter and transitional housing programs.
"The San Diego Foundation works with hundreds of donors and we are so pleased to have the opportunity to steward the interest of those donors," said Katie Rast, The San Diego Foundation community impact director.
Clum has not only donated $13.8 million in grants to the region but has committed to donating an additional $10 million in the years to come, Rast said.
