Ways to help
If you’d like to make a difference to the lives of young children and their families, you need to be prepared to go the distance. As Child at Street 11 serves children from under-resourced families, it is in constant need of professionals who can help a child with educational challenges to become learners who can develop their literacy and numeracy skills. Professionals who can work with the Centre’s trained staff are welcome if they can commit their time on a long-term, sustained way in running reading or psychological programmes for children. Professionals who can volunteer their time on a regular basis on programmes for children with dyslexia, autism or other educational needs are also needed.
On the non-education front, volunteers with skills in managing office work or book keeping or audit work can play a useful role in the Centre’s work.
Donors play an important part helping the Centre do its professional work. Donations are vital to cover the operating costs of educating children in the Centre. The school fees paid by the parents of children in the Centre are insufficient to cover costs. There are many parents who cannot afford to pay the highly subsidised monthly fees that can range from $100 to $3.
The Centre also needs funds to pay for additional programmes that parents cannot afford to pay for – these include art material, visits to places of interest like Gardens by the Bay or a classical music concert at The Esplanade.
Donations are given tax deduction receipts.
Companies that are keen to run its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) work, will find the Centre a good place to be with. Company employees who have enjoyed their time in the Centre have always been there for long periods and do work that goes hand in hand with the Centre’s educational approaches.
Donation in kind
- Donations in kind are useful when they have a place in the learning needs of children. The Centre has in-depth and immersive projects that build on the knowledge children are born with. They need good quality books, art material, video projectors, overhead projectors, or large acrylic sheets.
- Used toys, old clothes or books, furniture, musical instruments like pianos or violins either hinder or place obstacles in the mind of a child that thrives on the process of inquiry, wonder and creating their own knowledge in collaboration with professionals like engineers, scientists, architects or policy makers.
- Donations of food will be welcomed if its unprocessed food, free of processed sugar. The Centre serves vegetarian food and stays true to its belief in the slow food movement where the origins of food is understood and appreciated.
Voices from The Parents
