Dear Families, Friends, Alumni, Teachers, and Community,
Please consider donating to our annual fundraiser known as our Little Friends Campaign so we can continue our mission of providing equitable and inclusive education so
Everyone Gets to Play for another 45 years.
We are thrilled to say that currently, more than 40% of children at MSS receive a Maple Street experience for less than full tuition, ranging from no cost to need based tuition assistance, and our goal is to increase that percentage to more than 50%.
We need your support because 45 is a BIG momentous number! I had the opportunity to speak to the kids, play experts, about the number 45 and if they think playing for 45 years is BIG. Some think 45 is really big, some think it is very small, some think that 4 is the biggest number because it is how old they are turning, others think it doesn’t matter and they want to get back to their playing. And they’re all right, 45 is both a big number and hopefully just the beginning.
I have been at Maple Street for half its existence. I joined the Maple Street Community when I was 15 years old as an intern in afterschool. Everyday I got to be with the teachers now known as the matriarchs – Ann-Marie, Barbara, Jackie, and Nelcia. From the beginning what I loved about Maple Street is that the kids were always encouraged to play on every surface and in every nook and cranny. Kids played on the “big burgundy couch” in their dress up clothes, built with blocks and put puzzles together on two different sides of the rug, made wands and counted cubes on the tables, and created big beautiful art everywhere. Within this beautiful play was learning and work, supported by teachers prompting the children to share their work and what they were thinking.
Playing for 45 years is BIG! It is clear to us that our school is special because no matter how big or small the number 45 is, what matters is that Maple Street has always been a place for all children. We care that it is 45 years old and we want more years to come. In my conversation about 45, one child pointed out that “Maple Street doesn’t have a mouth to eat some cake” but the people of Maple Street can eat cake, and the people are what matter.
At Maple Street we hold diversity, community, inclusion, accessibility, and equity at the core of our mission of play. Little Friends makes all of this possible. From tuition assistance to our Universal Pre-K classrooms, Little Friends directly supports our mission to make PLAY at Maple Street as accessible to as many families and kids as possible.
We need to raise at least $100,000 this year to support our program and everything that it has expanded into since Maple Street opened 45 years ago. Our goal is to raise $75,000 of it through Little Friends. This goal is rooted in our commitment to upholding our most sacred value: At Maple Street, everyone gets to play!
With Caring, Appreciation, Play, and BIG LOVE,
Peggy
With your support, we will continue to be a place where everyone gets to play.
Is 45 a BIG NUMBER?
“45 looks big to me”- Evelyn
“4 is a bigger number because I’m 4 years old. It’s my birthday today”- Leon
“Maple Street doesn’t have a mouth to eat some cake”- Maggie
