Fort Worth preschool raises $5,193 for Make-A-Wish

The Learning Experience Preschool in Fort Worth- Heritage raised $5,193 during its April “Let’s Grant Wishes” campaign for Make-A-Wish. The effort used classroom activities, family donations and staff support to teach children philanthropy while helping grant wishes for children with critical illnesses.

Why it matters: - The campaign tied early childhood education to community giving. - The fundraising helped support Make-A-Wish, which grants wishes for children living with critical illnesses. - The effort also taught preschoolers kindness, empathy and service through hands-on participation.

What happened: - Preschoolers, families and staff at The Learning Experience in Fort Worth- Heritage raised $5,193 during the school’s annual “Let’s Grant Wishes” campaign. - The month-long fundraiser ran in April. - The campaign benefited Make-A-Wish. - Center leaders Crystal Shaffer, Nora Medrano and Erica Overton guided the effort. - The preschool’s mascots, “Grace the Greyhound” and “Charity Chihuahua,” also took part.

The details: - Children wrote encouraging letters to wish children. - Preschoolers joined fundraising events. - Classrooms used activities focused on compassion and helping others. - The campaign is part of The Learning Experience’s proprietary philanthropy curriculum. - The curriculum introduces kindness, inclusion, generosity and community service through age-appropriate experiences. - The program is designed to show children that small acts of giving can strengthen their communities. - The Learning Experience says the campaign extends learning beyond the classroom. - More information - Heritage preschool page - Fort Worth Heritage Facebook page - Bubbles and Friends on YouTube - The Learning Experience on TikTok

Between the lines: - The fundraising serves as a brand-building exercise as much as a charity drive. - The program gives young children a concrete way to learn empathy through action instead of abstract lessons. - The company’s national Make-A-Wish partnership gives the Fort Worth campaign a larger context. - Since 2018, children, families and staff across The Learning Experience centers have raised more than $11.5 million for Make-A-Wish.

What's next: - The Learning Experience is likely to continue using its annual philanthropy campaign across centers. - The company says the program will keep linking early education with community service. - The Learning Experience has more than 480 centers open and over 240 more in development across the U.S. and U.K. - The company serves children from six weeks to six years old. - Its broader education model centers on the L.E.A.P.® Curriculum and the Bubbles and Friends® media platform.

The bottom line: - A Fort Worth preschool raised a modest sum, but the bigger goal was teaching children that giving back is part of learning.