Twenty years ago, the Child Educational Center (CEC) and the La Cañada Unified School District (LCUSD) partnered to provide on-site before and after-school care for students enrolled at LCUSD’s three elementary schools. On Friday, Oct. 20 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., this successful partnership will be honored with a celebration for parents and children at Palm Crest, La Cañada, and Paradise Canyon elementary schools.

The anniversary celebration will feature refreshments, games, activities, and more for the whole family, as well as an anniversary cake at all sites.

“The partnership between the CEC and the District has been very successful and meaningful for everyone over the past 20 years,” said Wendy Sinnette, LCUSD superintendent of the CEC’s School Age program. “As an educator and community member, I believe that the CEC’s high-quality program continues to serve our community well with their caring teachers, creative activities, and homework assistance to all children.”

This partnership, under the leadership of School-Age program director Allegra Inganni and Lisa Cain-Chang, the program director of the CEC, currently serves nearly 650 children at the three school sites and focuses on providing extended care and education to children from transitional kindergarten (TK) through sixth grade. The CEC’s innovative, research-based approach of focusing on the whole child and providing nurturing care and education, with abundant time outdoors, is a cornerstone of their unique philosophy.

In addition to providing care and education services at the three LCUSD elementary schools, the CEC also provides full day programs for children during the Districts’ “in-service” days and some holidays, and winter and spring breaks at its Oak Grove site on Foothill Boulevard.

For more information, visit www.ceconline.org.