 Dear Friends, I’m writing today because I want to share a wonderful story–about how you are helping both teachers and students! Your generosity to Sonoma Valley Education Foundation is making fully-subsidized preschool possible for 104 young students throughout our community. But your impact doesn’t stop there. You are also helping teachers. Kristen Carlson is a teacher at Sassarini Elementary School. We talked with her about how preschool not only prepares individual students for success, but also benefits their peers and their teachers–especially in kindergarten classrooms. According to Kristen, “From my experience teaching kindergarten, I could definitely notice some differences between children who had attended preschool versus those who had not. “The biggest difference I saw was social-emotional. The students that had attended preschool were less apprehensive and more so ready to jump in socially. They were able to communicate with peers and easily learned procedures because they had practiced in preschool.” There are also clear academic benefits as well. Kristen notes, “Students who attended preschool had been exposed to books, numbers, and letters, which was a big advantage. Also, they often had more developed fine motor skills because they had practiced cutting and gluing, pencil holding, and sensory play.” Kristen goes on to highlight the critical importance of preschool in our community. “If preschools weren't available it would be a huge loss for children, and for kindergarten teachers,” says Kristen. “Kindergarten teachers would essentially have to back up and teach all those essential skills students gain from attending preschool. It would be a tremendous step back in school readiness.” “Bottom line, preschool is IMPORTANT and needed! In my opinion, it’s the most important thing we should provide for our children!” Thank you for supporting local teachers like Kristen and their students. If you’d like to help another teacher today, you can click here. Thank you for helping both local teachers and our community’s youngest learners! With gratitude,  Angela Ryan, Ph.D
Executive Director
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