I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'Acts 20:35
Each year the abundance of love that shines upon our home is breathtaking. It’s as beautiful as a glittering fresh blanket of snow. It warms your heart and ignites the feeling of joy. The gifts that people offer during the season is astounding and it’s difficult to put into words how grateful we are.
To paint the picture of our appreciation of the generosity during the Christmas season, we want to share what our children are most grateful for in their own words.
Each year we begin preparing for Christmas by having the kids fill out wish lists complete with their favorite color, their clothing sizes, the things they need most and what they want for Christmas. At the bottom we also ask them for what they are most grateful. It is these humbling statements that give us purpose, that are the proof of our good works and the true meaning of this glorious season. Their words are short and to the point but the weight they carry is enormous.
Without your help this all would not be possible. Thank you for the blessings that you have bestowed on our children – the gift of a loving home where they can grow with their brothers and sisters. May you feel the joy that you have given to our children.
Merry Christmas from all of us at El Ranchito de los Niños
Education is one of El Ranchito’s utmost values and we hold it as one of our top three priorities, along with teaching our children about God and instilling self-worth. By giving our children the best education possible, we give them a foundation upon which to build their future. An education is a priceless gift that no one can take away.
It is our responsibility to find the academic strengths and weaknesses of each child and develop a plan for them. We focus on giving them individual attention and support to achieve their goals. With this support, we hope to motivate the child to higher academic performance. Providing one on one attention, tutoring and private-school education to our kids ensures that they are performing at grade level or above, experiencing success in a learning environment and gaining knowledge and experiences that they can take with them wherever life takes them.
Education is not all about putting your nose in a book and getting good grades. It is really a way to discover new things, spark a new passion and increase our knowledge. Education introduces you to different cultures, religions and thought processes that you may never be exposed to otherwise. It helps build creative thinking skills, decision making skills, problem solving skills and social skills. Education also provides a stepping stone to the real world, offering many different courses on proper financial techniques, life planning and personal development.
We at El Ranchito feel that education is the foundation in strengthening children and providing them with the opportunities to build a better future. But, the best education for each of these children does not come cheap and it doesn’t end when the bell rings at the end of the day. Providing these children with all that they need to succeed goes beyond just a private education- they need tutoring, school supplies and other resources, so we continue to need and ask for your support.
The Difference an Investment in Education Can Make
Many wonder why we send our kids to private school. Private schools provide small class sizes and better student-to-teacher ratio – which provides them with a sense of belonging, something many of them have never known. The schools we choose have some of the lowest teacher to student ratios in our area, on average 11:1.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics:
- Graduation Rate: 92% private school vs. 89% public school
- Apply to college: 88% private school vs. 57% public school
- Attend a 4-year college 64 % private school vs. 40% public school
But, we also know that it’s not just about what school they attend, but the support they receive at home. By allowing our children to live at El Ranchito past the age of 18 and helping them transition after high school, we overcome some of the worst statistics that plague the foster care system:
- One in four will be incarcerated within the first two years after leaving the system.
- Over 20% will become homeless at some time after age 18.
- Approximately 58% attained a high school degree at age 19, compared to 87% of non-foster youth.
- Of youth who aged out of foster care and are over the age of 25, less than 3% earned their college degrees, compared with 28% of the general population.
