Community & Outreach

Ideas for building strong community connections, hosting events, partnering with local organizations, and supporting families through outreach and schoolwide initiatives.

A group of smiling children stand in a row playing various musical instruments, such as maracas, tambourine, and triangles, in a brightly lit classroom during community events.

Community Events: Represent Your Program at Local Festivals

Community Events: Representing Your Program at Local Festivals and Fairs When Sunshine Preschool set up their booth at the annual Spring Festival, they went beyond the typical brochure display. Instead, they created a mini-version of their outdoor classroom, complete with…

A group of young children and adults, part of parent volunteer programs, sit and play together on the floor with colorful foam puzzle pieces and toys in a bright, cheerful room.

Parent Volunteer Programs: Simple Ways to Build Community

Parent Volunteer Programs That Build Community When Maple Grove Preschool launched their “Family Friday” program—where parents took turns leading small group activities based on their unique skills and interests—something unexpected happened. Not only did the children benefit from exposure to…

People walk up and down the wide stone steps leading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art on a sunny day, showcasing one of the city's premier cultural resources, with two large flagpoles and a historic building in the background.

Cultural Resources: How to Find and Use Local Opportunities

Cultural Resources in Your Community: Finding and Utilizing Them When the children at Bright Horizons Preschool visited their local Korean cultural center, something magical happened. Three-year-old Mia, typically reserved during group activities, eagerly demonstrated how to use chopsticks—a skill she…

Three children are gardening outdoors on a sunny day in a community garden. Two girls and one boy are tending to plants in a garden bed, using small tools, and smiling together. The background shows green foliage and a fence.

Community Gardens: How to Join or Start One with Your Class

Community Gardens: Joining or Starting One with Your Preschool “Miss Sarah, look! I found a worm!” four-year-old Aiden exclaims, carefully cradling the wiggling creature in his soil-covered hands. Around him, a group of preschoolers eagerly dig, water, and examine the…

Three young children sit at a round table in a library, each reading books. Shelves of books line the background, reflecting how local business collaborations help create vibrant, welcoming spaces for young readers to learn and grow.

Local Business Collaborations: Building Win-Win Partnerships

Local Business Collaborations: Finding Win-Win Partnerships When Little Sprouts Early Learning Center partnered with a local coffee shop to create a family-friendly corner with children’s books and toys, something unexpected happened. The coffee shop saw a 25% increase in weekday…

A teacher sits in front of a group of young children in a classroom, smiling and holding a book. Thanks to library partnerships, several children seated on the floor eagerly raise their hands to answer a question.

Library Partnerships: How to Maximize Your Public Connection

Library Partnerships: Maximizing Your Relationship with Public Libraries In a small community room at the local public library, preschoolers gather on a colorful carpet as a children’s librarian animatedly reads a story about butterflies. Their teachers observe, taking mental notes…

Children planting young seedlings in soil, working together outdoors in a garden on a sunny day as part of a service learning activity. Their hands are gently placing small green plants into the earth.

Service Learning: Appropriate Ways Children Can Help Others

Service Learning for Little Ones: Age-Appropriate Ways to Help Others “I helped make someone happy today!” Four-year-old Mia beams as she places a handmade card into an envelope destined for a local nursing home. Her classmate Jayden carefully waters seedlings…

An older woman smiles while helping two young girls paint a large orange pumpkin shape on paper as part of intergenerational programs. One girl sticks out her tongue while painting, and the other focuses on her brushwork. A pumpkin sits on the table.

Intergenerational Programs: Connecting Children with Seniors

Intergenerational Programs: Connecting Preschoolers with Senior Citizens Four-year-old Emma carefully holds up her painting to show Mr. Frank, her 82-year-old art partner. “It’s a dinosaur in space,” she explains with complete seriousness. Mr. Frank, who once worked as an engineer,…

A group of community helpers and children work together outdoors, planting a tree. The adults and kids are smiling, wearing blue Volunteer shirts and gardening gloves, surrounded by green grass and trees.

Community Helpers: Invite Local Workers Into Your Classroom

Community Helpers Series: Inviting Local Workers to Your Classroom When firefighter Miguel Rodriguez visited Ms. Chen’s second-grade classroom, something magical happened. Students who typically struggled to maintain focus sat captivated for 45 minutes. Children who rarely participated in discussions eagerly…

Three children wearing virtual reality headsets sit at desks in a classroom with their hands raised excitedly, appearing engaged and amazed by the virtual field trips they're experiencing.

Virtual Field Trips: Explore the Community Without Leaving

Virtual Field Trips: Exploring the Community When You Can’t Leave School Field trips have long been a cornerstone of experiential education, allowing students to connect classroom concepts with real-world applications. But what happens when budget constraints, transportation issues, scheduling conflicts,…

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