Now may not be the time to put money into traditional investments like the stock market, especially if you’re looking for an immediate and handsome return.
But one way to invest in the future, and reap dividends for the long term, is to support Mile High Montessori Early Learning Centers, Denver’s oldest and largest provider of subsidized, quality early childhood education.
Since 1970, Mile High Montessori has been a lifeline in Denver’s most economically distressed neighborhoods, meeting the educational, nutritional, physical and mental-health needs of 826 children between the ages of 2 months and 5 years from families living in poverty. It is one of the nonprofit agencies that have applied for funds in The Post-News Season to Share campaign.
“Food and shelter are two main cornerstones of a child’s development,” says Mindy Rodriguez, program director of the Northeast Early Learning Center, one of six locations in the Mile High Montessori network. “Without them, a child can’t concentrate, and it takes a lot of concentration to get through a day, at school or in life.
“When children have a full tummy and a safe place to be, they are prepared to learn. Studies have shown that by age 3, children achieve nearly 80 percent of their total brain growth, and that by the time a child enters kindergarten, his or her intelligence, behavioral patterns and personalities are largely formed.”
By the time Mile High Montessori students reach kindergarten, they are comfortable with such concepts as sharing, establishing boundaries and focusing on tasks at hand.
The Northeast Early Learning Center, 3503 Marion St., is housed in a modular building constructed in the 1970s with HUD dollars. Its first upgrade was completed earlier this year when it got new wiring, siding and exterior paint. Thirty-eight children between the ages of 3 and 5, the majority of whom are from single- parent families, are enrolled there. Half are from homes where Spanish is the only language spoken.
“The children come to us speaking only Spanish and when they leave, they’re speaking English,” Rodriguez proudly points out. Enrollment is at capacity — with a waiting list.
Tuition is computed on a sliding scale, based on parental income, and it’s never enough to cover costs.
“We have to raise $1,000 per enrolled child just to sustain our operations as they are now,” Rodriguez says. Staff salaries are “just above” the “poverty level of the families we serve” and a cost-of-living raise awarded this year was the first given in seven years.
Staffers also help families access other services and programs.
Getting children off to a good start may be expensive, Rodriguez says, but it saves money in the long run. Every dollar spent on quality early- childhood education represents a savings of between $4 and $17 on costs associated with remedial education, health care, welfare and criminal justice.
McCormick Foundation, gave $2.1 million to 65 agencies last year serving disadvantaged children, as well as people who are hungry, homeless or in need of medical care. Donations are matched at 50 cents for each dollar; 100 percent goes directly to the agencies. To make a donation, call 1-800-518-3972 or visit www.seasontoshare.com.
