'Tea and Tour' to raise awareness of Child Development Center

Supporters of the Fallbrook Child Development Center have announced they will offer a ‘Tea and Tour’ on Tuesday, March 11, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in order to raise awareness of the local program.

The Child Development Center provides childcare and preschool programs for low-income families that are verified to be legal citizens and have parents who work or attend school full-time.

A program geared toward helping families that are trying to help themselves, the center is funded and monitored by the State. A support group formed in 2005, Los Padrinos (“The Godparents”), made up of dedicated community volunteers, has made it their mission to raise funds in order to enrich the program each year.

“We try to raise about $50,000 each year,” said Susan Lucy, one of the board members. “We have an all-volunteer board of directors; there are 12 of us.”

Los Padrinos holds two fundraising events each year. One is the ‘Evening of Revelry,’ typically held in August, and the other is a mail-out campaign conducted in December.

Lucy says what she particularly likes about supporting the center is that children can begin attending the program as young as 1 year old because “there are just not a lot of options out there for babies.”

She also explained that because most of the parents are Spanish-speaking, it gives the children a good fundamental beginning in the English language.

“The children get a great start on their English language skills,” Lucy said. “They are totally fluent by the time they go to kindergarten.”

Los Padrinos supporters are invited to attend the tea and tour, as are any community members interested in learning more about the charitable endeavor, meeting the staff and seeing the positive work that goes on there.

To RSVP for the ‘Tea and Tour,’ call the center at (760) 728-5402.