Denville preschool raises $6,472 for Make-A-Wish

The Learning Experience Preschool in Denville raised $6,472 in April through its annual Let’s Grant Wishes campaign to support Make-A-Wish and teach children kindness, empathy and giving back. The effort is part of the company’s philanthropy curriculum and adds to more than $11.5 million raised nationwide since 2018.

Why it matters: - The campaign turns early childhood education into hands-on community service. - The $6,472 raised in Denville will support Make-A-Wish and help grant wishes for children with critical illnesses. - The program also teaches preschoolers practical lessons in kindness, generosity and empathy.

What happened: - The Learning Experience in Denville ran its annual “Let’s Grant Wishes” fundraising campaign during April. - Preschoolers, families and staff members raised $6,472 for Make-A-Wish. - The campaign included donations, fundraising events and classroom activities. - Center leaders Alexandra Sanchez, Alyssa Hockey, Al Patel and Juliana Moreno-Betancourt helped guide the effort. - The campaign also featured the philanthropy mascots Grace the Greyhound and Charity Chihuahua.

The details: - Children wrote encouraging letters to wish children during the month-long campaign. - Classroom activities focused on compassion and helping others. - The Learning Experience said the initiative reflects its mission to make a positive difference in the lives of children, families and communities. - Brad Wahl, chief operating officer of The Learning Experience, said the company is committed to early education that goes beyond basic academics and wants to inspire the next generation of philanthropists. - The “Let’s Grant Wishes” campaign is part of The Learning Experience’s proprietary philanthropy curriculum. - The curriculum introduces children to kindness, inclusion, generosity and community service through age-appropriate experiences. - Since 2018, The Learning Experience centers nationwide have raised more than $11.5 million for Make-A-Wish.

Between the lines: - The Denville effort shows how brands in early education are using service projects to build character lessons into daily learning. - The campaign also gives families a way to connect classroom activity with visible community impact. - The national fundraising total suggests the Make-A-Wish partnership has become a long-running part of The Learning Experience’s identity.

What's next: - The Learning Experience is expected to continue the annual Make-A-Wish fundraising campaign across its centers. - The company will keep using its philanthropy curriculum to pair giving with early learning. - More than 480 open centers and over 240 additional locations in development across the U.S. and U.K. give the program room to scale further.

The bottom line: - A local preschool fundraiser became both a community donation drive and a lesson in empathy for young children.