{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"YCCAC Head Start","outOfStateSupporters":64.3,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9256352,"projectId":9420992,"letterContent":"Thank you for supporting my project and helping create sensory spaces that have already transformed the way children in our program experience their day. As soon as the materials arrived, the children were drawn to the soft lighting, tactile tools, and cozy seating options. One child who often struggles during transitions quietly stepped into the new space, took a deep breath, and whispered, \"This feels safe.\" Moments like that have become part of our daily rhythm.We've been using the new resources to support self‑regulation during challenging moments, as well as to build proactive routines around emotional awareness. Children now choose calming tools before frustration escalates, and teachers have shared that classroom disruptions have noticeably decreased. During a small‑group activity, a child independently asked for a sensory break, spent a few minutes exploring the fidgets and weighted items, and then returned ready to participate — something that rarely happened before this project.The next steps for our students involve integrating these sensory spaces into ongoing lessons about identifying feelings, practicing coping strategies, and building independence. We're creating visual guides that help children choose tools based on their emotions, and we're teaching them how to use the space not only when they feel overwhelmed, but also as part of daily routines that promote calm, confidence, and connection.This project has had a profound impact on children's learning. With these materials, I've been able to teach self‑regulation in a hands‑on, meaningful way that meets children exactly where they are. The sensory spaces have helped children stay engaged longer, recover more quickly from moments of distress, and participate with greater independence. I am deeply grateful to The Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation for supporting this work — their generosity made it possible for us to create environments where every child feels calm, seen, and supported.","fullyFundedDate":1758815332318,"projectUrl":"project/from-overwhelmed-to-empowered-learning/9420992/","projectTitle":"From Overwhelmed to Empowered: Learning to Find Peace","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Serena","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9256352_orig.jpg?crop=2234,2234,x0,y879&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1723678738662","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-serenas-hopes-and-dreams"},{"teacherId":9256352,"projectId":9629054,"letterContent":"Thank you for supporting this project and making such a meaningful difference for the children I serve. With your generosity, I was able to bring an economical color printer, a large‑format laminator, and essential supplies into my program — tools that immediately elevated the quality, accessibility, and consistency of the visual supports the children rely on every day.\r\n\r\nOnce these materials arrived, I began creating individualized schedules, self‑regulation charts, personalized labels, and symbol‑rich learning visuals tailored to each child's needs and strengths. These supports quickly became part of the classroom environment, helping children understand their routines, communicate more confidently, and navigate transitions with greater ease.\r\n\r\nThe laminated visuals held up beautifully to daily use, allowing children to interact with them independently without fear of tearing or damage. The color printer made it possible to incorporate meaningful images, child‑specific symbols, and engaging visuals that truly reflected each child's interests and developmental profile.\r\n\r\nBecause of your support:\r\n\r\n- Children used personalized visual schedules that helped them move through their day with confidence \r\n- Self‑regulation charts were added to calming spaces, giving children concrete tools to identify feelings and choose strategies \r\n- Durable, high‑quality labels helped children locate materials independently and build ownership of their space \r\n- Interactive learning charts supported communication, early literacy, and classroom participation \r\n\r\nThese tools didn't just enhance the classroom — they strengthened children's sense of safety, predictability, and belonging. Your generosity ensured that every child, regardless of communication style or developmental profile, had access to supports that helped them feel capable and understood.\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in early childhood education and for investing in the power of inclusive, thoughtfully designed learning environments. Your gift made a real and lasting impact.","fullyFundedDate":1756913645007,"projectUrl":"project/print-laminate-empower-visual-tools-f/9629054/","projectTitle":"Print, Laminate, Empower: Visual Tools for Independent Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Serena","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9256352_orig.jpg?crop=2234,2234,x0,y879&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1723678738662","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-serenas-hopes-and-dreams"},{"teacherId":9083419,"projectId":9258699,"letterContent":"Words cannot describe the gratitude we feel for the generosity you showed our classroom in providing us with the tools we need to learn important social-emotional skills in the classroom. The children were overjoyed to see the materials as we unpacked them from the boxes and described what each item was and how we could use it.\r\n\r\nWe jumped right in with your donation and created a Safe Place area that we can use when our big emotions need space. In this Safe Place, we have our Ocean Emotion sea shells, which provide us with a way to express how we are feeling and relate those emotions to visuals to communicate with others when we just can't find the right words to use. We also have our sea turtle with the soothing sequins to support our sensory-seeking children during times of upset. To add a cozy touch, we put our stuffed axolotls in our Safe Place to provide our children with something safe to squeeze and squish when the urge arises.\r\n\r\nWith the rainbow emotion fidget poppers, our children can put a physical, concrete, visual example to their feelings. They are also great for our non-verbal children to provide them with a means to communicate how they are feeling if they don't know how to verbalize it. They also provide multiple of the same emotions, which allow the children to interact with each other in a group setting and engage in cooperative play, while learning to relate to one another through emotions.\r\n\r\nFinally, the doctor kit as provided our children with a wonderful opportunity to learning about cooperative play while engaging in pretend play with their peers. This kit allows our children to learn about pretend play, sharing, cooperation between peers, and communicating with each other. It has already provided countless hours of fun and learning for our little ones.\r\n\r\nWhile we have only scratched the surface of using the materials we received, we are so excited to continue to explore and build on our social-emotional skills in the classroom using the generous donations you made to us. We are truly so blessed and grateful for your kindness and generosity!","fullyFundedDate":1746787413006,"projectUrl":"project/social-emotional-growth-through-play/9258699/","projectTitle":"Social-Emotional Growth Through Play!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Carrie","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9083419_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1689019750479","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9083419"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_120252","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":null,"numTeachers":null,"percentFrplEligible":63,"percentAsian":1,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":93,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":1,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"US Census Data for the surrounding geographic area","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":1,"gradesServed":"Not specified","studentTeacherRatio":null,"demographicsDataSource":"Census ZCTA","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"UNCLASSIFIED","ncesMetroType":null},"inStateSupporters":35.7,"schoolId":120252,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about YCCAC Head Start on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"YCCAC Head Start","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/maine/office-of-head-start/sanford-spruce-street-head-start/120252"}