Instilling a love of learning.

Building lasting connections among children, families, staff, and volunteers.

Creating a warm, caring environment.

Making high-quality preschool affordable and accessible to all families.

These are principles on which Joyce Preschool was founded. Forty-six years later, they remain at the heart of our program.

We’ve kept to these principles as we’ve grown into a nonprofit and refocused into a blilingual program — and we keep to them as we continue to change. This year we opened Joyce at Windom, a Joyce classroom in Windom Dual Immersion Elementary, and the first private, nonprofit preschool to operate in a Minneapolis public school. Joyce at Windom was a huge step in bringing our services to more families, but we know we can do more.

Joyce has carefully planned expansion for years, and we’re about to reach the next phase: relocation. Joyce will be moving to 3400 Park Avenue for the 2013-14 school year! Read more about our relocation on our blog.

We are thrilled by this opportunity to broaden our impact, but as we work to reach more families and increase the depth of our programming, we also face a significant financial gap. You have the opportunity to help us close it.

In order to continue preparing families for kindergarten, Joyce needs to increase its operating budget by more than 15% for the next year and, in addition, must raise $100,000 for capital improvements to make its new space meet preschool licensing requirements and Joyce’s own quality standards. Though it sounds like a lot, Joyce can close the gap with your help.

Joyce’s expansion is the result of years of feedback; we’ve consistently had waitlists for classes, and the demand for our programming continues to exceed our current capacity. Relocation is key to serving more families, and getting more kids ready for kindergarten. Last year 100% of our kids graduated kindergarten-ready — we want that 100% to include more kids than ever.

You can make a lasting impact for Joyce. Donate today; help build a foundation that Minnesota families can rely on for years to come.