What is Storyteller Children’s Center? Storyteller was founded in 1988 when a group of concerned community members noticed the astounding number of homeless families living on the streets of Santa Barbara County. The children needed a place to go while their parents worked. Storyteller provides tuition-free early childhood education for homeless and at-risk children in Santa Barbara County, as well as comprehensive support services for their families.
Today, Storyteller Children’s Center, located at 2115 State Street, is a full day preschool program with a capacity of 42 children. Storyteller Children’s Center has a constant wait list of about 80 to 100 children. In 2007, a second site was opened, doubling the amount of children served at Storyteller. That second site is located at 2121 De La Vina, Santa Barbara, CA.
Storyteller partners with several different programs to create school readiness for their preschoolers. One program, in particular, is CALM (Child Abuse Listening Mediation). CALM provides mental health consultation, evidence-based therapeutic practices, and innovative preschool interventions. Information is gathered twice yearly, and data indicates that these programs are working with Storyteller’s preschoolers doing well in kindergarten.
Want to know how you can get involved? There are many opportunities for volunteers at Storyteller. Some of which include story time, art and creative development, and many other ways. You can also make a gift of support to help Storyteller be able to continue providing these programs to 100 homeless and at-risk children in our community. You can call (805) 682-9585 to find out more.