{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Uphaus Early Childhood Center","outOfStateSupporters":37.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":4793846,"projectId":10291031,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for helping bring We Don't Eat Our Classmates / Los niños no se comen a los compañeros into every classroom on our campus! Having a copy in every classroom was an amazing way to start the school year and create a shared reading experience for our entire school community. There is something truly special about knowing that students across campus are laughing, learning, and talking about the same story together!\r\n\r\nWe are also truly humbled that this generous donation was made in honor of Cathy McHorse. We lost a true champion of young children, and her impact on early childhood education and the lives of so many will not be forgotten. What a beautiful way to honor her legacy by putting wonderful books into the hands of young readers and creating joyful opportunities for children to learn and grow. I think Cathy would be proud!\r\n\r\nPenelope Rex is such a beloved character, and her story opens the door to meaningful conversations about empathy, self-control, boundaries, and how we treat others. Having this book available in both English and Spanish also helps us celebrate the diverse learners and families in our community.\r\n\r\nAlthough we haven't yet secured funding for Novel Effect, we remain hopeful that we can make this exciting resource available to our staff and families. We can only imagine how much more magical these shared read-alouds will be with music and sound effects bringing the stories to life!\r\n\r\nThank you for helping us begin this school-wide reading adventure on such a joyful note and for honoring Cathy in such a meaningful way. Your generosity has given our students a wonderful story to share, laugh about, and learn from together. We are deeply grateful for your kindness and for helping us continue the important work of nurturing a love of reading in every child.","fullyFundedDate":1781527925997,"projectUrl":"project/we-dont-eat-our-classmates-another-sha/10291031/","projectTitle":"We Don't Eat Our Classmates: Another Shared Story Experience!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Haywood","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4793846_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1530746531668","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/alexia-haywood"},{"teacherId":4793846,"projectId":10176918,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for helping bring these wonderful books into our library! These stories are so much more than books on a shelf. They become old friends, favorite read-alouds, sources of laughter, and stories our students ask to hear again and again.\r\n\r\nOur library has a special place in its heart for these authors and characters. The Pigeon is practically a celebrity around here! We love reading his stories, and we even use our own version entitled Don't Let the Pigeon Touch the Books to help teach our students how to care for library books. He makes regular appearances on our bulletin boards and displays, sometimes hiding in unexpected places to see if our students can find him! We also have stuffies to go along with many of Jory John's books and a banner featuring the Food Group characters that we have put up for students see as they leave the library. These familiar characters help make our library feel welcoming, joyful, and full of personality.\r\n\r\nWe also have a special connection to Ryan T. Higgins and his Bruce series, as well as Jonathan Stutzman and his Tiny T. Rex books. Thanks to our partnership with BookPeople, we were incredibly fortunate to welcome both authors for visits in recent years. Those experiences made these stories even more meaningful to our students, and it is so exciting to continue building those connections through the books we share together.\r\n\r\nAs our newest books find their way into eager little hands, I know they will bring so much joy, spark wonderful conversations, inspire young imaginations, and help our students grow as readers. For our students, discovering a book they love can be the beginning of a lifelong love of reading. Every new story gives us another opportunity to laugh together, wonder together, and make memories together in the library.\r\n\r\nYour generosity means so much to our school community. Thank you for investing in our students, helping us grow our library collection, and making sure our readers have access to the engaging, high-quality stories they deserve. I can already imagine the excitement when these books are introduced and the many times we'll hear, \"Can we read that one again?\"\r\n\r\nFrom the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping make our library an even more magical place to learn, explore, and fall in love with reading!","fullyFundedDate":1775492025559,"projectUrl":"project/top-of-the-list-for-stories-not-to-miss/10176918/","projectTitle":"Top of the List for Stories Not to Miss!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Haywood","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4793846_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1530746531668","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/alexia-haywood"},{"teacherId":4793846,"projectId":10290497,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping us bring Pig the Pug / Chancho el pug to every classroom on our campus!\r\n\r\nWhile we have not yet been able to secure funding for Novel Effect access for all of our teachers and families, the books themselves have already made an incredible impact. From the moment they arrived, teachers could not wait to share Pig's hilarious adventures with their students.\r\n\r\nOne of the most rewarding parts of this project has been watching Pig the Pug grow alongside our students over the years. We first shared the story in the library two years ago, and our school counselor revisited it last year as part of social-emotional learning lessons. This year, thanks to your generosity, Pig made his way into every classroom on campus. Some children were meeting him for the very first time, while others were excited to reconnect with a familiar character. Best of all, having copies in every classroom meant teachers could read the book not just once, but again and again. Those repeated readings led to deeper conversations, richer vocabulary, and lots of laughter. A beloved story that once reached students in a single setting can now be experienced throughout our entire school community.\r\n\r\nThe response from both students and teachers was overwhelmingly positive. One of our Pre-K 4 teachers told me she had to read the book aloud multiple, multiple times because her students kept asking to hear it again. In her decades of teaching, she could not remember another book that had been requested so many times by a class.\r\n\r\nTeachers found meaningful ways to extend the story beyond the read-aloud. One Pre-K 3 teacher used the book to spark conversations about sharing and kindness, then connected that learning to a creative art project. Another teacher used Pig's behavior to introduce and discuss the word selfish and its Spanish counterpart, egoísta, helping students build both vocabulary and social-emotional understanding.\r\n\r\nSeveral teachers immediately wanted to check out other Pig the Pug / Chancho books from our library so they could continue reading the series with their students. Families got involved too, with students visiting the library after school with caregivers to borrow Pig books and enjoy them together at home.\r\n\r\nYour generosity did much more than provide books. You helped create shared experiences, meaningful conversations, laughter, and a love of reading throughout our school community. These stories gave teachers a valuable tool for teaching kindness, sharing, empathy, and making good choices, all while keeping students thoroughly entertained.\r\n\r\nWe remain hopeful that we will someday be able to expand this experience by bringing Novel Effect to our teachers and families. Until then, these books are already creating joyful literacy experiences for hundreds of young learners.\r\n\r\nThank you for helping us build a school community where reading is fun, engaging, and something we celebrate together.","fullyFundedDate":1781527924871,"projectUrl":"project/pig-the-pug-a-shared-story-experience/10290497/","projectTitle":"Pig the Pug: A Shared Story Experience!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Haywood","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4793846_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1530746531668","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/alexia-haywood"},{"teacherId":4793846,"projectId":10352984,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping bring The Dot/El Punto to every classroom on our campus!\r\n\r\nOur teachers were absolutely thrilled to receive their own classroom copies. In previous years, we only had a few library copies to share, and there were never enough to go around! Thanks to your generosity, every teacher was able to have this inspiring story in hand and make it a part of their students' learning experience.\r\n\r\nOn September 15, our campus came alive as we officially celebrated International Dot Day. Students and staff dressed up for the occasion, filling the halls with creativity, color, and excitement. Classrooms across the school joined author Peter H. Reynolds' annual live read-aloud and draw-along event, giving students the opportunity to connect directly with the story and its message.\r\n\r\nBut that wasn't all. Teachers extended The Dot into meaningful experiences across subject areas beforehand. Students wrote about their own unique talents, created original artwork, sang along to Emily Arrow's beloved Dot Day song, and even explored the artistic concept of negative space in art class. Everywhere you looked, students were creating, imagining, and discovering that they, too, can make their mark. And the bulletin boards all around the school reflected the joy!\r\n\r\nOne of the most meaningful aspects of this project was that every classroom shared the same story. They experienced a message of creativity, courage, perseverance, and believing in themselves. The books reflected our commitment to bilingual literacy while supporting the social-emotional learning goals that are so important in early childhood education.\r\n\r\nYour support brought much more than books to our school. You helped create a joyful shared experience for 325+ young learners and the educators who guide them each day. The excitement, conversations, artwork, and confidence inspired by The Dot will continue long after Dot Day has passed.\r\n\r\nThank you for helping our students discover that one small dot can be the beginning of something amazing.","fullyFundedDate":1784217277277,"projectUrl":"project/the-dot-a-shared-story-experience/10352984/","projectTitle":"The Dot: A Shared Story Experience","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Haywood","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4793846_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1530746531668","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/alexia-haywood"},{"teacherId":8423790,"projectId":10378060,"letterContent":"This project has made a wonderful difference in our Pre-K 4 classroom! The new storage bins have helped us create a more organized, welcoming, and functional learning environment for our students. With clearly labeled spaces for classroom materials, my students can see where things belong and are encouraged to take responsibility for choosing, using, and putting away materials independently.\r\n\r\nThe See-Inside Bins have been especially helpful because my students can easily see the materials available to them without having to search through closed containers. This makes our centers and learning activities easier to access and helps students make choices independently. The colorful book bins have also helped us organize our classroom library and other materials so that our learning spaces are easier for children to navigate.\r\n\r\nThe new cordless vacuum has also been incredibly helpful in keeping our classroom clean throughout the day. Pre-K 4 is a very active age, and our students learn through hands-on activities that can sometimes leave behind crumbs, paper, craft materials, and other little messes. Having a lightweight vacuum available allows us to quickly clean our learning areas and keep the classroom ready for the next activity.\r\n\r\nBecause of this project, I have been able to create a classroom environment that is more organized, accessible, and inviting. My students have more opportunities to practice independence, responsibility, and making choices while also learning in a clean and well-prepared space.\r\n\r\nThese materials have also helped me spend more time focusing on teaching and interacting with my students instead of searching for materials or spending valuable instructional time reorganizing our classroom. My students can more easily access the resources they need, transition between activities, and help care for their learning environment. The support from the **Center for Disaster Philanthropy** has helped us create a classroom where organization, independence, and learning can happen together.","fullyFundedDate":1785329510611,"projectUrl":"project/organized-classroom-successful-students/10378060/","projectTitle":"Organized Classroom, Successful Students","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Claudia Boizeau","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8423790_orig.jpg?crop=450,450,x7,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1650568651187","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/claudia-boizeau"},{"teacherId":8423790,"projectId":9164380,"letterContent":"This project has made a wonderful difference in our Pre-K 4 classroom! My students are now able to explore letters, sounds, and early literacy skills in a much more hands-on and engaging way. The magnetic letter builders and alphabet activity tin give my students opportunities to recognize, match, build, and manipulate letters while learning through play.\r\n\r\nThe lowercase alphabet stampers have added another fun way for my students to practice identifying letters and creating their own literacy activities. The storytelling kit has also encouraged my students to listen carefully, participate in stories, learn new vocabulary, and connect sounds with meaningful experiences.\r\n\r\nHaving these materials available in our classroom has made our literacy activities more interactive and exciting. My students are eager to touch, build, stamp, listen, and participate, which helps keep their attention and gives them different ways to learn. These resources have helped me create more opportunities for learning through play while supporting the important literacy skills my Pre-K 4 students are developing every day.\r\n\r\nThank you for helping make our classroom a more engaging, hands-on, and joyful place to learn!","fullyFundedDate":1745846904740,"projectUrl":"project/abc-adventures-early-literacy-through-p/9164380/","projectTitle":"ABC Adventures: Early Literacy Through Play!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Claudia Boizeau","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8423790_orig.jpg?crop=450,450,x7,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1650568651187","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/claudia-boizeau"},{"teacherId":8008892,"projectId":6890803,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting my PK4 classroom and helping create a more welcoming and comfortable learning environment for my students! I am especially grateful for the sofa, which has given my students a cozy place to sit, read, talk with their classmates, and enjoy quiet moments throughout the day. Having a comfortable space in our classroom will make our learning environment feel more inviting and home-like for our young learners.\r\n\r\nYour generosity makes a meaningful difference in our daily classroom experience. The sofa has become a special place where students can gather for stories, conversations, and learning activities while building a love for reading and learning. Thank you for investing in my students and helping create a classroom where they feel safe, comfortable, and excited to learn!","fullyFundedDate":1680527586150,"projectUrl":"project/cultura-for-our-classroom-library/6890803/","projectTitle":"Cultura for Our Classroom Library","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Velez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8008892_orig.jpg?crop=400,400,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1662169279633","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/msmvelez"},{"teacherId":8008892,"projectId":9035337,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting my PK4 classroom and helping make learning more engaging for my students! Your generosity has provided us with a color printer that will allow me to create colorful, hands-on activities, visual aids, charts, center activities, and assignments tailored to my students' needs. Having these resources readily available will make our daily learning experiences more exciting and help capture the attention and curiosity of my young learners.\r\n\r\nYour support will make a lasting difference in our classroom by allowing me to create meaningful learning materials throughout the school year. My students will benefit from colorful visuals and activities that make learning fun while helping them build important early childhood skills. Thank you for investing in my students and giving me the tools to create a classroom filled with engaging opportunities to learn, explore, and grow!","fullyFundedDate":1742941921492,"projectUrl":"project/pk4-needs-a-color-printer-for-visual-res/9035337/","projectTitle":"PK4 Needs A Color Printer For Visual Resources","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Velez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8008892_orig.jpg?crop=400,400,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1662169279633","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/msmvelez"},{"teacherId":8008892,"projectId":8757358,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting my PK4 students with this project! These learning binders will give every student the opportunity to take fun, interactive learning activities home and continue practicing important skills outside of the classroom. My students are excited to have their own binders filled with activities such as letter, number, color, and name practice, as well as opportunities to draw and write in their journals.\r\n\r\nYour generosity is also helping create a stronger connection between school and home. The binders will allow families to be more involved in their child's learning and give parents an opportunity to see and practice the skills their children are learning in class each day. Thank you for investing in my students and helping make learning a fun experience that can continue at home!","fullyFundedDate":1733870695135,"projectUrl":"project/take-home-binders-for-prek4/8757358/","projectTitle":"Take Home Binders for PreK4","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Velez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8008892_orig.jpg?crop=400,400,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1662169279633","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/msmvelez"},{"teacherId":8008892,"projectId":8318266,"letterContent":"Thank you for allowing me to give my students these new, engaging STEM bins. My students have been using the new STEM materials during our morning learning time, where they have the opportunity to explore, build, and create through play. They were very excited when they first saw the new materials and immediately wanted to start building and experimenting. It has been wonderful to watch them work together, share ideas, and use their creativity to make different structures and designs.\r\n\r\nAs we continue using our STEM bins, my students are learning to think critically, solve problems, and try different strategies when something doesn't work the first time. Our next step is to give them more opportunities to work on challenges such as building structures, creating patterns, connecting gears, and exploring how magnets work. These hands-on experiences are helping my PK4 students develop important skills while having fun and learning through play.","fullyFundedDate":1715170466791,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-learning-with-stem-bins/8318266/","projectTitle":"Hands on Learning with STEM Bins","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Velez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8008892_orig.jpg?crop=400,400,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1662169279633","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/msmvelez"},{"teacherId":8008892,"projectId":7328174,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting my PK4 students and helping us celebrate such an important milestone! Because of your generosity, every student will receive a special book and a summer fun gift bag to recognize all of their hard work and growth throughout the school year. My students have worked so hard, and being able to give each child something special to take home will make the end of their PK4 year even more memorable. The books will also give families an opportunity to talk with their children about the exciting transition to kindergarten.\r\n\r\nYour support means so much because you are helping create positive memories that my students will carry with them as they continue their educational journey. The summer gift bags will give them fun items to enjoy and help them recharge during their break, while their books will encourage them to continue reading with their families. Thank you for investing in my students, celebrating their achievements, and helping make sure every child feels special and proud of how far they have come!","fullyFundedDate":1683666171011,"projectUrl":"project/kindergarten-here-i-come/7328174/","projectTitle":"Kindergarten Here I Come!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Velez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8008892_orig.jpg?crop=400,400,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1662169279633","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/msmvelez"},{"teacherId":8008892,"projectId":8318314,"letterContent":"Thank you for your generous contributions to my project! My students were so excited to receive their end-of-year books and summer gift bags! Their faces lit up as they explored all the fun items and looked through their new books. Each student was able to take home a special book to share with their family and use as a way to talk about moving on to kindergarten. It was a wonderful way to celebrate their hard work, growth, and accomplishments throughout the year.\r\n\r\nAs we finish our school year, we are focusing on celebrating our memories together and preparing for the exciting transition to kindergarten. The books and summer gifts will give my students something special to remember their PK4 year while also encouraging them to continue reading and learning at home. I am so grateful that this project allowed every student to receive a special keepsake and fun summer items to enjoy during their break.","fullyFundedDate":1714676405896,"projectUrl":"project/kindergarten-here-i-come/8318314/","projectTitle":"Kindergarten Here I Come!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Velez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8008892_orig.jpg?crop=400,400,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1662169279633","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/msmvelez"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_103724","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":261,"numTeachers":23,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":3,"percentBlack":6,"percentWhite":8,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":79,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":1,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - Pre-K","studentTeacherRatio":"11.3:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":63.0,"schoolId":103724,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Uphaus Early Childhood Center on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Uphaus Early Childhood Center","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/texas/austin-independent-school-district/uphaus-early-childhood-center/103724"}