KidWorks Blog
College and career readiness is one of KidWorks three program success strategies, however both mental and emotional well-being is foundational to a child’s academic success.
Due to COVID-19, many children have experienced prolonged months of isolation at home away from school and friends, parents facing loss of jobs, illnesses and the deaths of loved ones.
Our KidWorks Preschool students had a very special President’s Day. Over 40 of our kids spent the day at the La Habra Children’s Museum.
We are so greatful to Kevin Watson, owner of JFK Transportation, for so generously donating the transportation for our fun day at the museum. There were about 6 rooms to explore in the museum.
The children had an amazing time exploring a room with a variety of animal fossils, “you could tell they were amazed to see the following a lion, a grizzly bear, and a hyena, which was perfect since we just learned about hibernation in class,” said Idalia Galdamez, KidWorks Preschool Director.
Following the animal fossils, students explored a room with a grand theater and saw different costumes from fireman gear to singers and ballerinas.
Next, students visited a room that had a market and an old OCTA bus. Students were more than glad to pretend to be bus drivers.
Lastly, there was a room decorated like the Old Stone Age. Students were able to pretend to live in that era. Some of them got to climb on top of mammoths, wear pretend skin clothes, and many of our kids took pictures.
We had the best day! Thank you, La Habra Children’s Museum.
Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of our blog series, “The Women of KidWorks.” This week, we highlight another very special mom!
Alma Magana, a KidWorks preschool teacher, has a special message for parents who attend graduation ceremonies for their four-year-olds.
“Please remember to invite me to your child’s high school and college graduation,” she tells them. “I’ll go.”
While high school and college seems many years off for these parents and their young students, Alma is a person of her word.
Just ask Isaias Cambron, who recently graduated high school. He attended KidWorks programs from preschool through his sophomore year in high school.
“You came!” Isaias said as she congratulated the cap-and-gown clad graduate.
“I told you I would,” she says, recalling her promise of so many years ago.
Alma has been part of the KidWorks’ team since 1999, when she started as an after school volunteer at what was then our Myrtle Street center in Central Santa Ana. She eventually moved to our Dan Donahue Center when it opened in 2005. She’s taught at our accredited preschool since then—and is in fact our longest-term employee.
What’s it like to spend 175 days a year helping four year olds to learn the alphabet, recognize the primary colors and explore their artistic skills?
“I confess that sometimes I forget to leave the preschool teacher at the door when I go home for the day,” she laughs. “I sometimes say to my daughters, Betty, 23, and Debbie, 19, ‘Did you wash your hands,’ and ‘Don’t forget to say hello when you meet someone.’”
There are more dimensions to Alma than many people who meet this soft-spoken woman may not fully realize.
She, her husband, Joel, and Joel’s father, Adolfo (both ordained ministers) and sister, Mirvella, oversee 13 churches the three of them have founded throughout the U.S., Mexico and Nicaragua.
Alma has also run 16 half marathons, many with her daughters. She also sews (pillow cases, handbags and quilts), giving some of her creations to her students and their families.
Alma says that her deep faith in Jesus means that service in His name goes beyond preaching the gospel.
“To me, it’s important that I also give of my time, visiting with students and their families at their homes after work,” she says. “KidWorks is like a seed we plant in a child’s life. That seed grows there forever.”
By Glenn Leibowitz, Volunteer Content Writer
