On April 13, Storyteller Children’s Center hosted its 9th annual Lunch with Love at the S.B. Woman’s Club for more than 200 supporters. There was a reception on the sunny patio and then lunch inside, where guests were welcomed by Board President Michael Wasserman. He recognized some of the many public officials present, including Mayor Randy Rowse, Police Chief Kelly Gordon, County Supervisor Laura Capps, and City Fire Chief Chris Mailes.
Executive Director Gabriella Garcia explained how Storyteller provides high quality early childhood education to children who have faced adverse circumstances so early in their lives that it has often led to trauma. Accordingly, Storyteller’s staff are highly trained to support the social, emotional, and behavioral challenges these children present. The goal is to get the children to be on a par with their peers when they enter the school system.
Garcia made the exciting announcement that Storyteller will soon bring its programming to Transition House’s infant/toddler program, providing programming to those six weeks to two years old. This initiative seeks to maximize Storyteller’s impact by having an earlier start for programming, which will be play-based learning for social and emotional development. Storyteller’s existing two campuses provide programming for children 18 months to five years old.