After more than 31,000 votes were cast, we're proud to name St. Mary's Child Center (SMCC) the 5th annual Gerry Rauenhorst Building Community Award winner!
Early childhood education matters! SMCC knows this and offers two programs to educate children, prepare them for kindergarten and mitigate the negative impacts of poverty on their lives. SMCC's Preschool and Educational Outreach Programs provide a comprehensive scope of resources to help children developmentally in all aspects.
Over 90% of SMCC's three to five-year-old students live in poverty. Children in poverty hear 30,000,000 fewer words than their middle-class peers and are read to only 25 hours before entering kindergarten. SMCC's mission is to provide the highest quality early education program to benefit their 228 students throughout five Indianapolis locations.
SMCC uses the Reggio Emilia approach to reinforce that children are strong, competent and capable. Their low adult-to-child ratio ensures that children are provided quality care and attention. 80% of SMCC's students advance to kindergarten at a five-year-old developmental level.
For over 50 years, St. Mary's Child Center has worked with children to create a more successful future!
In partnership with the Opus Foundation®, we launched this award in 2015 to honor our founder's legacy of giving and celebrate our history. St. Mary's Child Center will receive a $66,000 Opus Foundation grant—$1,000 for each year of our 66-year history. Recognizing the important contributions of all the finalists, the remaining seven nonprofit organizations will each receive a $5,000 grant from the Opus Foundation®.
Thank you to our eight impactful finalists and to everyone who voted and spread the word about this Award!
St. Mary’s Child Center Named Building Community Award Winner
