The nonprofit preschool A Child Becomes (WSB sponsor) in North Admiral is teaching its students a lifelong lesson … helping others. They hope the wider West Seattle community will assist – you can watch the short video above to see why.

The preschool’s director, Michelle “Teacher Shelley” Neal, has educated thousands of students since founding A Child Becomes 30 years ago, and has witnessed daily how a quality early education can make a huge difference in young people’s lives. The curriculum blends education and outreach; Shelley and her staff teach social emotional skills, literacy, math, science, foreign language, and involve their students in numerous service projects each year. The school explains that “Shelley believes that practicing compassion, teaching it, and giving the students a chance to also practice compassion ‘hands on’ can help make us all happier more connected people. The service projects at A Child Becomes are a huge part of their curriculum.”

Now they’ve launched the biggest one yet: Building a preschool in South Africa.

That’s where Shelley’s husband Ralph is from, so for more than 20 years, they have traveled there each year. The school says:

Shelley and Ralph have witnessed the extensive poverty in South Africa that still continues after apartheid. They personally have always wanted to do something to help. There is an enormous gap between the wealthy and the poor in South Africa. There is a tremendous amount of corruption in the government and the Department of Education do not provide funds to most of the black children in the country. Unfortunately many of the children who are lucky enough to go to school, enter underprepared and drop out by 4th grade.

Shelley and Ralph chose to build a preschool in a region they felt, through statistics, has the most need. This area is in the Eastern Cape, the region where the Xhosa nation lives and that was also Nelson Mandela’s homeland. This unique opportunity to help young children who desperately need access to early education is also a way for the children of South Africa to connect their compassion to children across the world. Teacher Shelley is finally building her dream.

She visited the area in July and tells the story here of meeting the children that the “sister school” will serve – read about it here. But her dream is bigger than just one location, as explained here. And yes, she and her school already have service projects close to home – via programs including the West Seattle Food Bank‘s Backpack Program, Toys for Tots, and the seniors at Brookdale Admiral Heights.

Last school year they began their involvement in REACH! South Africa by collecting shoes, clothing, and classroom supplies. Now they’re expanding to a community campaign to help set up the first efficiently planned preschool – and scrolling down this page, you’ll see how, as well as how you can help, if you choose to. The benefits for the West Seattle students of A Child Becomes are explained too.