After a morning of decorating donated mini trees to take home to their families, happy gaggles of kids served by Storyteller Children’s Center stepped out of their classrooms. They had their eyes closed. There was a surprise, they were told.
Suddenly, out of the bright blue sky, snow started to fall. (The children didn’t pay much attention to the snow machines nearby.) Shrieks and laughter filled the air.
Storyteller Children’s Center is a year-round therapeutic school serving Santa Barbara’s homeless toddlers and preschoolers. Students are provided with early childhood education, therapeutic counseling, three nutritious meals a day, medical and dental screenings, and parent education.
“This is the stuff that sticks with these students forever; a bright contrast to some of the challenges they experience every day,” said executive director Donna Barranco Fisher. “They get to truly relish in the joy of the season — and in the knowledge that their community loves and supports them.”