---

YOU ARE NOW ABLE TO GIVE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS HERE (if you give here on Better Unite your donation is NOT tax deductible!)

 

Help Mi Casita launch un 

💫  Centro Cultural en Bed-Stuy 💫

 

 

Grounded in our values of community, emergence, and justice, Mi Casita Preschool has long offered deeply loving, Spanish language immersion for kids ages 2-4. Going into 2023, we're asking for your help to extend our human-centered, arts-based, pay-what-you-can Spanish language programming to the whole community, no matter the age.

 

That's why we're officially launching the Mi Casita Centro Cultural!

 

 

---

Our story

 

One late afternoon in 2011, Eva Ruiz was coming home disheartened after visiting prospective preschools for her then 3 year old daughter Ona. Disheartened because despite Eva's dearest hopes to find the right school for her bilingual child, it was looking like she just needed to find any Brooklyn preschool that had space and she could afford.

 

As Eva sat in her frustration—a familiar feeling for many families—she bumped into a neighbor, who after hearing her disappointment, told her about a small, six family cooperative preschool they knew of. It was there that Eva met the inspired teacher of the school, Romina, who showed Eva what a Reggio Emilia approach to education looks like.

 

Eva's daughter would come home and refer to herself as an artista exploring creative mediums, a detective looking for number clues, a periodista interviewing neighbors, or a directora making a stop motion film. One day she even came home as an ornithologist who had dissected owl poop and found real mouse bones.

 

This was a place where each child was cherished, supported, and encouraged to explore all of their emergent identities and interests.

 

As a former teacher, education researcher, and policy advisor for the Department of Education, Eva knew how incredibly lucky she was to have found this learning environment for her child. But it shouldn't be a matter of luck.

 

Every child has the right to a loving, child-centered, emergent education.

 

So when the cooperative preschool ended, Eva invited Romina to continue teaching at Eva's home-based daycare. Over eight years, that daycare slowly grew and in 2019, Mi Casita the home-based daycare became Mi Casita the bilingual, Reggio-inspired preschool.

 

Since then, Mi Casita has been joined by an incredible team of progressive educators including:

 

• Rafa Pérez-Segura, a dual-language kindergarten and first-grade teacher with a Master’s degree in elementary and bilingual education from Stanford University

 

• Wendy Jo Cole, the former director of the Maple Street School, interspiritual minister, and therapist

 

• And countless other beautiful collaborators from across the Spanish-Speaking Diaspora ✨

 

From serving just 8 families the year after the pandemic to now having served over 130 families, both the school and the idea of Mi Casita has blossomed in recent years.

 

 

A large group of Mi Casita families gathered outside the school for an end-of-year celebration. On the right side of the photo you can see the space we are planning to rent (a former eyebrow threading studio). Let's turn "LASHES" into "COMMUNITY"!

 

 

But the dream for Mi Casita has always been bigger than the preschool. The dream has always been to offer accesible, loving bilingual arts programming to anyone who wants it.

 

That’s why, just as we are in the final stages of securing the space next door to Mi Casita, we’re launching this fundraiser for the Mi Casita Centro Cultural.

 

 

 

We envision the Cultural Center to be a space where:

 

• Pay-what-you-can Spanish language programming for children of all ages with artists, musicians and other Humans in Residencia is available, for example:
  • "Let's Make Movies" taught by two Chilean film-makers (ages 7-12) 
  • "Ukelele con Amigues" taught by a Dominican-Mexican musician (ages 6-10)
  • Embroidery en Español taught by a Guatemalan textile artist 
  • Yoga y movimiento taught by a Venezuelan actriz 
  • Salsa, bomba, flamenco and other dance traditions
  • y mucho más!

 

• Pay-what-you-can programming that invites humans of all ages to meaningfully connect with themselves, the Spanish language and others is available, for example:
  • “Grandes y Peques” classes
  • Yoga and wellness events
  • Book groups en Español by Latine autores
  • Music and theater performances by Latinx artistas
  • Art galleries
  • Therapeutic services
  • Dance parties
  • And anything else you can imagine

 

• Advocacy groups and grassroots community organizations that are working to create a more just world can gather regularly for free.

 

• Underrepresented artists can showcase and sell their art, jewelry, music, poetry, etc.

 

• Information about mutual aid projects, neighborhood events, social services, and local resources can be found.

 

• We can run clothing donation drives, food drives, etc.

 

• A community fridge can belong!

 

• All identities are embraced and uplifted.

 

• People feel empowered to co-create programming. We deeply want this to be an emergent, collaborative journey just like our school.

 

 

 

We are crowdfunding because:

 

1. We want this to be a community-driven process. While we at Mi Casita have all kinds of ideas for the new Centro Cultural, we also want to hear your ideas and feedback. It will be a community space after all.




2. The initial build out costs for the Centro Cultural are higher than our operational budget can sustain without negatively affecting the security of our team’s salaries and livelihoods (something we would never compromise on).




3. Your donation is a mission-driven investment in our community!

 

 

 

Our goal for the year is to raise $100,000—perhaps a dream, but one we’re making a concerted effort towards.

 

This money will go towards:

 

1. The physical build out (including wiring and electricity, plumbing, wall construction, furnishing, design, HVAC inspections and repairs). Our contractors estimate that this will cost up to $80,000.


2. Initial program development, including but not necessarily limited to:
   1. Fairness funding (eg. pay-what-you-can) for families
   2. Bringing in world-class artists-in-residence to host arts programing in Spanish
   3. Compensating our teammates for any roles they take on related to the Centro Cultural on top of their existing jobs

 

Please help us reach our first milestone of raising $50,000 by the end of 2022!

 

 

 

Projected Timeline:

 

 

 

 

Common Questions and Answers:

 

 

Is my donation tax-deductible?

 

Not here on Better Unite. Your donation is tax deductible if you give at the link here!

 

 

I’m interested in learning more about the Mi Casita Preschool for my family. Where can I learn more?

 

You can learn more about the Mi Casita Preschool on our website, www.micasitabk.org. If you’re interested in coming in and touring the space, please follow the steps on the “admissions” tab of the website. We look forward to meeting you and your family! 🤗

 

 

Why is this campaign called the "Constelaciones Campaign"? 🌃

 

At Mi Casita, we often take inspiration from the wisdom of the natural world, including our stars and planets 🪐. This project feels to us like one that both draws on a constellation of support and creates a constellation of support for our community. So..."constelaciones" emerged for us during one of our heart-storming sessions! 

 

 

Other Ways to Support the Mi Casita Centro Cultural:

 

 

Spread the Word

 

 

• Share this page with friends and familia!

 

• Sign up for the Mi Casita newsletter where we’ll be sharing development updates and when we open our doors!

 

• Follow us on Facebook (@MiCasitaDay), Instagram (@micasitabk), and Tiktok (@micasitabk). Please like, repost, and share! 

 

 

Join or Create Programming with Us

 

 

• Sign up and tell your friends about our upcoming kids’ film-making class, "Let’s Make Movies", and our upcoming "Ukelele with Amigues" class, both starting in January! Fairness funding available. Learn more here.

 

• Host your party or event at Mi Casita. All proceeds from space rentals will go exclusively towards the Cultural Center.

 

• If you are or know an artista who might be interested in using our space, please connect us! All programming outside of the school will help further this dream. You can email Eva, our Executive Director, at eva@micasitabk.org.

 

 

Get Further Involved

 

 

• Please consider being a matching donor if plan on making a large financial gift,. You can email Rafa, our Education Director, at rafa@micasitabk.org to set this up.

 

• If you’re interested in being on an advisory board for the Centro Cultural (or know someone who might be), please email Rafa at rafa@micasitabk.org.

 

• Do you have other ideas for how you’d like to support? Email Rafa at rafa@micasitabk.org!