Early education for Korean toddlers

Through your generosity, KKOOM has funded preschool education for 11 toddlers. KKOOM provides a scholarship for two and three year olds in children’s homes to help minimize the educational gap for them. Early education prepares children to be constant learners and to gain valuable life skills. We are excited to have one new preschool scholar starting in March 2019!

Jay is 23 months old and arrived at Emmanuel Children’s Home just four months after his birth. He has a gentle spirit - he doesn’t cry much and eats healthy on his own. While he’s generally mild-mannered, he loves to dance to music. It’s beautiful how young toddlers connect to the rhythm of music. He dances like nobody's watching - just pure bliss.

Not only does Jay like to dance, but he loves to sing! Research shows that singing has similar health benefits as exercise. When you sing, your body releases endorphins and you experience pleasure. Your body also releases the hormone oxytocin while singing, which helps relieve stress and anxiety. Singing is a positive way for Jay to freely express himself without any worries. We hope that as Jay grows, he realizes the power of his voice and confidently pursues his dreams.

At a very young age, structured social interactions are important for children’s healthy development. In preschool, Jay will learn to build strong social and emotional skills such as learning how to express himself and use teamwork to play with other children. Jay will also learn how to cooperate with others through play time and shared meals. Interactions with other children will help develop Jay’s creativity and will provide positive reinforcement in a community setting outside of the children’s home.

Thank you for giving Jay a safe learning environment to grow emotionally, academically, and physically. We appreciate your investment in the lives of Korean at-risk children. KKOOM is grateful for your dedication to uplift the younger generation who will be tomorrow’s leaders.

Thanks to your generous support, HyungJun attended preschool in 2018 as a KKOOM scholar. Being three years old, he’s always dancing when he hears music and his house mother said he’s starting to speak. He has grown so much physically and socially since his arrival at Samsungwon Orphanage in July 2017. 

Starting in spring 2019, KKOOM could be sponsoring another toddler to attend preschool. KKOOM is communicating with the staff at Emmanuel Children’s Home to figure out the logistics. We wanted to provide you better insight on how KKOOM sponsors a toddler to attend preschool.

When a new toddler arrives at Samsungwon or Emmanuel, KKOOM provides Welcome Boost Funds of approximately $125 to help purchase clothing and basic necessities for the child. If the child is old enough to start school, KKOOM works closely with the orphanage staff to finalize details. We send a few questions to his/her house mother so we better know the child. The orphanage staff pick a preschool in the area and depending on the time of year, we plan for the child to start the next semester.

In the coming year, KKOOM plans on being able to support both HyungJun and the child at Emmanuel to attend preschool. It costs approximately $333 a month. Your support gives us hope that we can continue improving the lives of Korean children through an education. Nelson Mandela says, “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.”

Thank you for changing this world, one day at a time, by investing in our KKOOM preschool scholars.

With gratitude,

Grace Lee, Chief Administrator