Purpose

The Staff and Board of The Children’s Center at Caltech are committed to the continued betterment of the Center and its ability to provide the best possible childcare environment for teachers and students alike. In order to finance major projects, the Center relies on the generosity of donors; the goal of each fundraise drive is specific and provides a tangible benefit to the community. As a private non-profit organization, tuition solely covers the operating budget with no provision for capital expenditures. Over 90% of the budget goes toward teacher & staff salaries, ensuring the Center’s ability to attract and retain the most talented personnel and maintain a low student-teacher ratio.

The Center has benefited tremendously from previous donation drives. Past projects include:

• the Preschool Science Lab: provides a work space where children can investigate and form deeper understandings of STEM concepts and materials
• Stroller Portico: keeps our Bunny buggies and strollers cool and safe from the outdoor elements
• Sun Shade: provides a shady area for the children to escape the heat on warm days
• Library Renovation: replaced damaged shelving to improve functionality
• Digital Microscope: another tool in the Science Lab for the children to explore and learn with
• Outdoor Play Yard Maintenance: new wood chips, sand, and grass to keep the grounds fresh
• Replacement of Pre-School and Toddler Play Structures

Current Project

The current focus of the Center’s fundraising effort is a renovation of the kitchen. An update of the facility would allow the Center to provide hot, nutritious lunches to all 128 students (in addition to existing morning and afternoon snacks). This has several benefits for the CCC community:

• the Children get hot food and shared experiences with their classmates
• the Parents do not have to routinely pack a daily lunch
• the Teachers can spend less time dealing with lunchboxes and more time with the children

The Center’s current kitchen has residential grade appliances and is unable to handle the scale needed to cook lunch for everyone. The re-imagined kitchen would have commercial grade appliances and an improved layout for efficient mass food preparation. It would allow the Center to provide meals such as pasta, steamed vegetables, and baked chicken.

The Current Kitchen Set-Up…

Mock-Up of the Renovated Kitchen…

How to Donate

The Center’s fundraising period ended on June 30, 2023; please contact the center at 626-395-6860 if you would like to contribute!

Evening Under the Stars 2023

The Center’s flagship fundraising event is the annual Evening Under the Stars, a fun evening of food and socializing for parents, teachers, and staff. The event was held on June 10, 2023 at Ai+ Studio, and featured a keynote speech from Professor (and CCC parent) Aaron Ames. See video highlights from the event here: https://youtu.be/o02YJgweW70

 

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we raised over $60,000 toward our ambitious kitchen renovation goal!