The Learning Experience preschool raises $5,000 for Make-A-Wish

Preschoolers, families and staff at The Learning Experience in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, raised $5,000 during an April campaign for Make-A-Wish. The effort tied fundraising to classroom lessons on kindness, empathy and community service.

Why it matters: - The campaign helped fund wishes for children living with critical illnesses. - The effort also turned philanthropy into a classroom lesson on empathy, generosity and service. - The Learning Experience is using early childhood education to reinforce real-world giving back, not just academic skills.

What happened: - Preschoolers at The Learning Experience in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, took part in the annual “Let’s Grant Wishes” campaign benefiting Make-A-Wish. - The month-long effort ran in April and raised $5,000 through donations, events and classroom activities. - Preschoolers, families and staff members joined the fundraiser. - Center leaders Lisa Sanger-Ferrara and Jacqueline Stein guided the campaign. - The program featured philanthropic mascots “Grace the Greyhound” and “Charity Chihuahua.”

The details: - Children wrote encouraging letters to wish children. - Children also participated in fundraising events and classroom activities focused on compassion and helping others. - The 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 activities. - The Learning Experience says the approach helps children understand that small acts of giving can strengthen their communities. - Since 2018, children, families and staff across The Learning Experience centers have raised more than $11.5 million for Make-A-Wish. - The Learning Experience has more than 480 centers open and over 240 additional locations in development across the U.S. and U.K. - The company serves children from six weeks to six years old. - The Learning Experience uses its L.E.A.P.® Curriculum to support cognitive, social and emotional development. - The company also extends learning through Bubbles and Friends®, an educational media platform with original characters, music, video content and a companion app. - The Learning Experience says it has earned recognition as the No. 1 Childcare Franchise by Entrepreneur magazine and the No. 1 Education Franchise by Franchise Business Review.

Between the lines: - The campaign blends fundraising with brand-building and early education. - The national Make-A-Wish total suggests the Englewood Cliffs event is part of a broader, recurring giving program. - Brad Wahl, chief operating officer of The Learning Experience, said the company aims to provide childcare and early education that goes beyond the ABCs and 123s. - Wahl said the partnership with Make-A-Wish is meant to create a meaningful difference in communities while inspiring the next generation of philanthropists.

What's next: - The Learning Experience is expected to continue its annual “Let’s Grant Wishes” campaign as part of its philanthropy curriculum. - The company will likely keep tying classroom activities to community service and wish-granting support. - The national fundraising total may continue to grow as more centers take part.

The bottom line: - A local preschool fundraiser became both a community donation drive and an early lesson in compassion, with children helping raise money for Make-A-Wish while learning why giving matters.