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Denton, Texas (November 17, 2009): For almost 40 years, Denton Christian Preschool has been caring for and educating young children in Denton County. More than 1,000 three- and four-year-olds have attended the early childhood program to date.

                Founded by a group of concerned citizens, primarily church members, Denton Christian Preschool serves low-income children who are at-risk of not succeeding in public school without intervention during their preschool years. DCP Executive Director Judy Royal said there are a variety of reasons a preschooler would be considered “at-risk.”

                “One reason of course would be income level, another would be the success of the parent in school, is the parent able to read and write, has there been a history of abuse or violence, the age of the parent when they had the child, is the parent incarcerated, and the number of children in the home compared to the number of adults in the home,” Royal said.

Denton Christian Preschool’s program is made up of five components: developmentally appropriate learning activities in a classroom setting; transportation to and from school; daily nutritious meals and snacks; medical, dental, speech, and other diagnostic screenings and referrals; and monthly parenting events.

                A half-day educational program, as opposed to a full-time daycare, Denton Christian Preschool utilizes a research-based curriculum in order to provide developmentally appropriate activities to its students.

                “Our curriculum is based on what research shows about how the brain develops and how we learn,” Royal said. “Through developmentally appropriate activities, we are teaching children what is appropriate for that child developmentally, and not for that child’s chronological age. Just as some children learn to walk at certain times and speak at certain times, they learn at different rates as well. They don’t all learn the same skill at the same time.”

                Denton Christian Preschool has a current enrollment of 62 students. Children are referred to the school through a variety of ways.

                “We receive many referrals from the parents themselves,” Royal said. “Our buses are very visible and (parents) hear about our program from neighbors or family members. We also receive referrals from offices where families receive assistance -- the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) office for example, or the Salvation Army or other United Way agencies make referrals to us. We do receive a lot of parents who come in and will ask for a form to fill out for the waiting list.” Denton Christian Preschool’s waiting list currently contains over 100 names, and grows to almost 150 at various times of the year.

                Denton Christian Preschool’s first funding organization was United Way of Denton County in 1972, with an allocation of $5,000. For the 2009-2010 school year, United Way’s allocation consisted of 45 percent of the school’s budget, or $136,000. DCP is also funded through several entities including proceeds from fund-raisers, the City of Denton, various local churches and private donations.

                “We couldn’t be open without United Way,” Royal said. “They provide much-needed funds that supply salary money and program money. United Way is extremely important for our existence. As I said, we couldn’t keep or doors open without them.”

Contributions to United Way of Denton County help support the work of Denton Christian Preschool and 25 other partner agencies that serve the community. Donations made through workplace campaigns are then allocated directly to the agencies by United Way volunteers. Payroll deduction is just one example of how United Way makes it easy to demonstrate your support.

“This has been a difficult year for funding and we do not have the funding sources to expand,” noted Royal. “We are receiving funds from everyone we have received funds from in the past, but it’s just less. This last year, we received notes from donors saying ‘we wish we could do more’, but I think all of us have been affected by everything that has happened in our country and we’re just hoping that everything turns around.”

DCP received $4,600 last month from the sale of heritage iris bulbs from the garden of the late Alyce Specht, a long-time Denton resident.

“We are so grateful to Alyce’s family for remembering us,” Royal said. “I think one thing I learned from Alyce is that we all have something to give.”       

United Way of Denton County is working to advance the common good by focusing on education, income and health – the building blocks for a good life. Through the work of our partner agencies, it is our goal to: help families have financial stability, build healthy communities and help children and youth achieve their potential.