Vine Hill Elementary Transitional Kindergarten (TK) teachers Sarah Hannaleck and Aliana Rosario were awarded $1,000 by the McDonald’s Golden Grants award program on Jan. 15.
The Scotts Valley teachers, who have separate classrooms but share an outdoor space and playground, are planning to use the funds for a new water table to support their STEM-based learning classrooms.
Transitional kindergarten was first introduced to California schools during the 2012-13 academic year. The program is intended to help those 4-year-olds who are close to the kindergarten eligibility cutoff date successfully transition into elementary school.
The grant application included a statement by Corinne Dolci, PTA volunteer, that read, “At Vine Hill Elementary in Scotts Valley, our TK program started in 2013, the same year the state of California enacted the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), revising the way that the state distributes funding to schools. Due to the nature of our rural community, the LCFF left our district in a funding donut hole: We do not have the property values we need for robust funding under the principal apportionment category that is the basis of LCFF funding; we also don’t have the special populations that qualify for supplemental grant funding. As a result, our district is one of the lowest funded in the state.”
Dolci continued, “Despite this, our community invests in and highly prioritizes education. Our elementary PTA raises upwards of $250,000 a year, and we are working hard to pass a local bonding bill to upgrade our elementary schools that were built 50 years ago. We are hoping that McDonald’s will join us in creating an enriching environment that will inspire our youngest learners to get excited to pursue their education.”
Those golden words worked, and Hannaleck and Rosario were thrilled with their award.
“We are honored to be chosen as a recipient for the McDonald’s grant,” Hannaleck said. “This grant will help us purchase additional hands-on materials for our classrooms. Our TK students learn best through play; we love finding new ways to engage our young learners and build on foundational skills in ways that are fun. Our plan is to buy activities and toys that support their fine and gross motor skill development.”
Rosario added, “We are so grateful to receive this grant through the nomination of a TK family. This grant will greatly help us expand our learning opportunities outdoors and provide our little TK students with wonderful ways to explore, discover, engage in conversation and play using a water table, art materials and various tools to support their development.”
For more information on McDonald’s Golden Grant winners for 2024, visit mcdgoldengrants.com.
