“What happens early in life, lasts a lifetime.”
University City Children’s Center or UCCC has been a long-time Good Work Partner. The site is so popular, that often the volunteer slots are filled with seniors and juniors (as they receive priority when signing up). Students work as teachers’ aides and spend time reading to the young ones, preparing classroom materials, or working on outdoor projects on the playground. In the past, Andrew Finkenkeller (Class of 2014) organized volunteers to build a pagoda as part of a summer project, and a class created art which was very successfully auctioned off to raise money at the UCCC Gala. Our work with UCCC extends well beyond our Good Work days, but they are still the heart of our relationship. When students return to UCCC next month, they will fan out into each of the preschool classrooms and sit on the floor or in tiny little chairs and connect with the wee little ones at UCCC. In one corner, you would likely hear Joe Stickley playing his guitar and singing to a group of children; in another space, one of our seniors reading a book to help a four-year-old drift off to sleep. It is a beautiful place.
From UCCC’s website:
UCCC is committed to providing innovative, quality care and education to a racially, culturally, developmentally, and socio-economically diverse population of children between the ages of six weeks and six years in a nurturing environment that provides supportive services to families.
Our vision is to create a new paradigm in early childhood education that will serve as a model for creating systemic change for children and families.
University City Children’s Center is a diverse, intentional early childhood community that respects and nurtures children and adults in a trusting culture of love, empathy, compassion, and joy that is guided by visionary leadership.
For more information, visit http://www.uccc.org.