April 8, 2005

East Hills Preschool receives grant for butterfly habitat

Giacomo, Kayla, Elisa and Clara of East Hills Preschool prepare the soil for the plants.

26-year anniversary and dedication ceremony
East Hills Preschool recently received a $2,000 grant for the creation of a natural butterfly habitat on the preschool’s backyard hillside. The long-term project will be celebrated at its upcoming 26th year anniversary event on Saturday, May 14.

“We are so excited to finally have our butterfly habitat,” said Peggy Susoeff, the East Hills Preschool teacher who wrote and applied for the grant through a citywide program called San Jose Beautiful.

“We believe that learning is an active experience and we continuously strive to create an environment that enhances a child’s self-image, self-direction and self motivation,” added Susoeff, who fell in love with gardening, hummingbirds and butterflies as a teenager.

The idea of the butterfly habitat originated when Suessoff joined the preschool eight years ago. She decided to leverage the school’s backyard hillside to plant various butterfly-attracting plants so the teachers could have a hands-on life science segment to incorporate into their overall curriculum.

The goal of the habitat is to teach students that they are the future stewards of the earth and that their job is, even at this young age, to learn how to care for it. “All of the teachers here believe that through education, children learn how to value the earth and themselves,” added Suessoff.

About the habitat
A butterfly habitat is a collection of plants that attract and sustain butterflies as well as their larvae, commonly known as the caterpillar. When areas get developed, natural habitats get destroyed, leading to a possible loss of species that depend upon certain plants to survive.

The East Hills Preschool habitat will show children how it is possible to bring some of these habitats back by planting and eventually observing the butterflies in their natural environment.

The largest plant group incorporated in the preschool’s habitat is the milkweed, which is the only plant the monarch larvae can eat. Parent volunteers and their children have been involved in the planting of the habitat, which is almost done.

Grant application process
A simple discussion of the potential of the preschool’s hillside and butterflies led to the discovery that Joan Hagan, a grandparent of one of the school’s students, had grant-writing experience. With Hagan’s patient direction, Suessoff began pursuing a grant last August.

After two months of filling out paperwork, going through the screening process and developing a comprehensive three-year garden plan, the preschool received the grant from San Jose Beautiful.

In addition to the application requirements, East Hills Preschool had to collect in-kind donations from the local community and families that equaled the value of the grant. These donations consisted of cash, garden supplies and labor supplied by the parents. The Heritage Foundation also donated a garden box.

Dedication ceremony
Completion of the butterfly habitat and the 26th year anniversary of East Hills Preschool will be celebrated at an open house event on Saturday, May 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the preschool, 1485 Story Road, San Jose, Calif., 95127.
The event will feature a special musical performance by this year’s preschoolers, an exhibit of their artwork and a dedication ceremony for the butterfly habitat.

East Hills Preschool has been in operation since 1979. Two of its three teachers, Nadine Williams and Debbie McMillin, have worked there for more than 20 years. Suessoff joined them in 1997.

The school offers four separate three-hour class sessions, with a ratio of three teachers to every 24 students, and a total enrollment of 86 children. Through a very stimulating and loving environment, East Hills Preschool maintains a high standard of education and requires parental involvement, which is a key factor to the preschool’s continued success.

San Jose Beautiful, founded in 1986 by the San Jose mayor and city council, operates out of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department. The program provides funding to schools, neighborhood groups and other non-profit organizations to empower citizens to actively take part in making San Jose a more beautiful place to live, work and visit through landscaping or creating theme gardens.

For more information about East Hills Preschool call (408) 923-8616 or visit www.easthillspreschool.com.