Today is Giving Tuesday! We are honored to participate in this global day of giving. Last year, we met our fundraising goal of $75k for our newly established Little Learners program. The success of Giving Tuesday 2022 helped us significantly grow our program and expand our reach. This year, we are asking the LightHouse community to once again support our Little Learners by helping us reach our goal of $80k!
“We are proud to reflect on all that the Little Learners program has accomplished in our second year with LightHouse,” says Little Learners Program Director, Pam Chapin. “Our highly experienced team has provided specialized early learning services to almost 300 young children in Northern and Central California who are blind, have low vision and additional disabilities that include visual impairment.”
“Leaving a long-term NICU stay is only the beginning for parents of medically complex or disabled children. We were filled with joy, fear, sadness, relief, and rage. Every corner we turned there was a new diagnosis, every door we opened revealed complicated systems we had to quickly learn. LightHouse Little Learners sent us our first post-NICU angel, Drue Banister, who jumped through hoops to come see us as soon as she could.” – Little Learners Mom, Jora
By engaging with physicians, pediatric ophthalmologists, eye care professionals, educators, and researchers, our Little Learners Specialists in Early Childhood Blindness and Low Vision have helped the community learn more about early childhood vision loss and the importance of early identification and access to quality, evidence-based educational services. We have helped families identify their child’s unique learning needs, learn through play and daily activities, advocate, access resources, and prepare for their child’s transition to preschool.
“Small and big changes recommended by our Little Learners Specialists Kris and Pam have improved our daughter Casey’s ability and mobility: for instance, small things like using higher contrast-colored objects and keeping hard-to-see gates closed, as well as big changes like the gift of a new pair of glasses and a little eyeglass party to encourage a reluctant toddler to give them a try. Additionally, help with understanding the pediatric ophthalmologist and optometrist was awesome as well; I was feeling quite overwhelmed and Kris’ support during the appointment was absolutely invaluable.“ – Little Learners Mom, Latasha
Through home visits, playgroups, family events, and family camp, our Little Learners, their Specialists and their families have learned together, built relationships, shared challenges, experienced joyful moments, and discovered new possibilities.
“Together with our Little Learners Specialist Jeri, we went to LightHouse’s Beeping Egg Hunt this spring. We made Max’s favorite toy which is a homemade rattle consisting of a whisk and ping pong ball, Max took his first bite of solid food, Max learned to crawl thanks to the lite box, and many more big firsts. We also celebrated our first White Cane Day together and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time! Jeri is our guide and our mentor, and Little Learners has a community of other mamas and papas who are fiercely devoted to raising thriving and successful babies!” – Little Learners Mom, Jenny
Our generous donors and community partners have helped us provide young children with prescription glasses, early literacy materials including Braille and large print books, access technology, and specialized learning materials.
We are thrilled as we look to the future and are grateful for our community’s support as we continue growing our program and helping young children and families flourish!
Make a Giving Tuesday Donation to LightHouse Little Learners
Learn more about LightHouse Little Learners.