Philadelphia preschoolers make care packages for people in need
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Inside a Logan Square preschool, kids aren't just learning their ABCs and numbers.
Instead, Friday's lesson plan was all about lending a helping hand to those in need.
"We normally start it as early as one, but it really gets emphasized at the age of three," The Learning Experience Associate District Manager William Hayes said.
Three-year-olds at The Learning Experience are making care packages that will be donated to people experiencing homelessness.
"The teachers are reading stories about donating, giving back, things like that," Hayes said. "And then we put things in action with their lesson plans where they are helping each other out, using kind words and asking their families to bring something in so we can give to the charities."
Aside from lessons and activities in the classroom, the preschool's director Keyonah Porter said teachers are also using two characters to help instill the value of giving back to others.
"Grace and Charity, they're our two philanthropy characters and the teachers are highlighting those characters and bringing them to life in their classrooms every day," Porter said.
Educators and staff members believe this curriculum is invaluable.
"Especially in the City of Philadelphia where things can be not so nice, but we instill now with these children," Hayes said. "We are preparing for the next generation. It's not about how big a child is or how small they are, it's about the size of their heart that matters."
It's a class assignment they hope will last a lifetime.