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Download the PDF of the February 24, 2009 Press Release

February 24, 2009 - Presentation School Foundation to join with St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, Creative Workplace Learning, and Little Sprouts Child Enrichment Centers at GALA Event to announce new partnerships to strengthen Allston-Brighton Community

Press contacts:  
   
Presentation School Foundation:  
Thomas O'Brien
617.850.5238
tobrien@psf-inc.org  
Little Sprouts:
Kelly Doherty
877-977-7688
kdoherty@LittleSprouts.com
   
Creative Workplace Learning:  
Lloyd David
617-783-6360
lloyd.david@cwlboston.org
St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center:  
Sheila O’Connell
617-779-6578
sheila.o'connell@caritaschristi.org

BOSTON, February 24, 2009 --The Presentation School Foundation (PSF) today announced that it will be joined at a GALA celebration on Saturday, March 7th by future tenants of the PSF facility in Oak Square including St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Creative Workplace Learning, and Little Sprouts.

Through partnerships and collaborations with local organizations, including the YMCA, Wheelock College and WGBH, these tenants will begin delivering high quality programs to support and strengthen the local community as soon as planned renovations have been completed. At the GALA & Auction on March 7th, PSF will also unveil plans that will make the center a model of environmentally-friendly “Green” renovation.

St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, a nonprofit community-based teaching hospital offering state-of-the-art medical care, will expand its local health education, screenings and support programs. Key components of the center’s health programming will be Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programs to provide nutrition, health education and other services to families, and the REACH Program, in collaborating with The Home for Little Wanderers Boston Early Intervention, to provide developmental support groups and programs to children and families from throughout the Allston-Brighton community. In addition to housing these programs, St. Elizabeth’s will also work with PSF and other organizations including the YMCA on community health programming that will be focused around preventive health screenings and health information sessions that address the health needs of local residents.

Little Sprouts, a nationally recognized leader in early education, will operate a school that will serve up to 140 local children. A key component of the Little Sprouts program includes curriculum materials developed by Brighton-based public broadcasting leader WGBH. Designed specifically for use in early childhood settings, the materials include a classroom library of books, teachers’ guides, DVD’s and activities that utilize WGBH’s award-winning television series Between the Lions and Peep and the Big Wide World. This curriculum is a launching point to teach young children reading skills and basic science concepts. Little Sprouts operates 9 other schools in Massachusetts communities and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to participate in such a wonderful community-building initiative” noted Susan Leger-Ferraro, Founder and President of Little Sprouts.

Creative Workplace Learning (CWL) will expand on its 30 plus year history of innovative on-site education and training programs for individuals in need of Basic English and academic skills to help meet the pressing workforce development and skills training needs of the Allston-Brighton community. Key components of the center’s adult education and job training will include the CWL’s Adult High-School Diploma Program, English as a second language (ESOL) customized for the workplace, and Computer Skills for the Office as an employment preparation program. CWL will also collaborate with PSF to offer a host of functional skills and literacy programs on financial, health, and employment topics.

“CWL’s goal is to ensure that all members of the community have the educational opportunities that will enable them to succeed whether in school or in their careers.” said Dr. Lloyd David of CWL.

“PSF is extremely pleased that we’ve been able to continue building upon the wonderful grass-roots efforts of the local community to support diverse families in Allston-Brighton,” said PSF President Tom O’Brien. “We are very grateful that some of Boston’s leading educational and health organizations are working together to provide extraordinary opportunities for local children and our community. We believe that these difficult economic times make the PSF project even more important to boost our local economy, to support urban children and families, and to serve as a model of community engagement and Green renovation.”

At the end of 2007, PSF purchased the former Our Lady of the Presentation school building from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston for one million dollars culminating what was described by the Boston Globe as “the best example of local grass-roots organizing in many years” and as “an exceptional effort to buttress an urban community.” The project will be “shovel-ready” within the next few weeks with the plans calling for the use of solar panels for energy and the creative reuse of old-classroom chalk boards. The renovation will result in manifold economic benefits for Allston-Brighton. PSF has received tremendous community support, but PSF still needs to secure financing and significant fundraising support to move this important project forward.

The PSF Gala & Auction will take place on Saturday, March 7th, at the Royal Sonesta hotel in Cambridge, and the evening will include dinner, silent and live auctions, and dancing. Last year’s GALA sold out, but tickets for this year’s event are still available. For ticket or sponsorship information please go to www.psf- inc.org/gala, email gala@psf-inc.org or call us at 617-782-8670.

 

About The Presentation School Foundation, Inc.
The Presentation School Foundation, Inc. is a secular community-based nonprofit corporation formed by local civic and business leaders from different background and faiths who all share the PSF mission: to provide educational and community services that strengthen Boston’s diverse Allston-Brighton neighborhood. For more information about PSF please visit: www.psf-inc.org.

About St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center
St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Tufts University School of Medicine, offers patients access to some of Boston's most respected physicians and advanced treatments for a full-range of medical specialties including family medicine, cardiovascular care, women and infants' health, oncology, neurology care and orthopedics. For more information about St. Elizabeth’s please visit: www.caritasstelizabeths.org

About Little Sprouts Child Enrichment Centers
Little Sprouts has been a leader in providing award-winning early education since 1982. Little Sprouts is a two-time recipient of the Early Reading First Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education and is a Preschool Center of Excellence also awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. Little Sprouts is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Little Sprouts has 9 schools in Massachusetts supporting families that reflect 32 cultures speaking 23 languages from all walks of social, economic, religious and ethnic backgrounds. To learn more about Little Sprouts, visit www.littlesprouts.com.

About Creative Workplace Learning
Creative Workplace Learning (CWL) is a nonprofit provider of innovative on-site education and training programs to individuals in need of Basic English and academic skills. Since 1977, more than 10,000 adults have attended CWL educational programs designed to help them succeed in the workplace and in life, including an adult high-school diploma program, English as second language, and computer skills for the Office. For more information about CWL please visit: www.creativeworkplacelearning.org

ARCHIVED PRESS RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Archived News:

December 2005: The Boston Foundation has awarded PSF a $25,000 grant to assist in the planning and development of a community center at the former site of the Our Lady of the Presentation School in Oak Square. The PSF appreciates the assistance of the Boston Foundation and views the grant as a further indication of the widespread support for the PSF's vision for a community center that would serve the pressing needs of working parents, children and immigrants in the Allston-Brighton community.

 
Presentation School Foundation, Inc. | P.O. Box 35834 | Brighton, MA 02135 | info@psf-inc.org