Fort Collins Preschool Fundraiser – Learning Through Play

4/16/2018

Think back to when you were a little kid. What was happening when you learned the most? Were you experiencing something? Or were you sitting at a desk?

Learning Through Play

In many ways, play is nature’s learning process. Through it, we cultivate our language, collaboration, and thinking skills.  In fact, according to this study:

“Children’s later school success appears to be enhanced by more active, child- initiated learning experiences… Their long-term progress may be slowed by overly academic preschool experiences that introduce formalized learning experiences too early for most children’s developmental status. Pushing children too soon may actually backfire when children move into the later elementary school grades and are required to think more independently and take on greater responsibility for their own learning process.”

About Fort Collins Pre-School

Recently, there has been a movement in education toward play-based learning for kids in pre-school and kindergarten.  One amazing example of this is offered by of our customers, Fort Collins Cooperative Preschool (FCCP).

“Fort Collins Preschool is a cooperative play-based preschool with enriching classes for children ages 2 to 5, including art, music, literacy, and daily craft projects,” said Steve Graham, FCCP parent, event organizer, and Eventgroove customer.  “Our parent-involved programs allow families to work together and create a caring community while participating in their children’s earliest educational experiences.”

That means in addition to incorporating purposeful play into their curriculum, parents are a part of their children’s learning process. FCCP parents may participate as Teacher Parents. The role places them squarely in the classroom 2-3 times a month to guide the learning-as-play process.

Preschool Fundraising

FCCP endeavors to keep its tuition and fees low—as a nonprofit school, it relies on fundraising to meet its budget. One of those preschool fundraising efforts is an upcoming raffle for a custom-built playhouse. For the fundraiser, FCCP ordered raffle tickets from Eventgroove. The drawing will be held at FCCP’s annual gala held at a Denver craft brewery. Though the money raised is planned for FCCP’s general operating expenses, the school hopes to put any overage toward building its own facility. Explained Steve, “The school has been operating since 1956, and has rented space from various churches and other community organizations (even though we are a secular organization and only rent space from the church). Our long-term goal is to open our own building.”

Preschool Fundraising Tips

Steve and the rest of the FCCP fundraising team have been active and creative in getting the word out about the raffle.  Member families of the school sell tickets through their social networks, and Steve has been selling them to families at local parks, libraries, and the like. The school also participated in its town’s St. Patrick’s Day parade and advertised the raffle, which Steve told us stirred up a lot of interest.  He also had some great tips for others planning a school fundraiser:

“Go local for dining for dollars and other fundraisers. It’s always beneficial to support local businesses. I have also found that they can be easier to work with and more generous than some national chain businesses. Also consider combining fundraising with social opportunities. A great pub in town, Pour Brothers, hosts community nights, where families can socialize and get great food and drinks while a good percentage goes back to the non-profit business.”

With such a diverse, engaged approach to selling raffle tickets and a unique prize, we’re 100% sure the Fort Collins Preschool Cooperative will reach its fundraising goal. Thank you to Steve and the FCCP fundraising team for choosing raffle tickets from Eventgroove!

Browse our blog for more fundraising tips from Eventgroove customers,