Children’s Beach House completes historic fundraising challenge with $4M goal
Children’s Beach House officials are proud to announce the completion of a three-year, $2 million fundraising campaign for its Ma-Ran Endowment supporting the organization’s Margaret H. Rollins Child Development Center, which serves preschool-age children with speech and language delays.
This historic campaign was matched dollar for dollar by the Ma-Ran Foundation, founded by Peggy and Randall Rollins, for a total of $4 million to support teaching positions that enable the organization to maintain a 1:5 adult-to-child ratio, far above the state minimum of 1:12.
“What sets Children’s Beach House apart is our ability to know each student and to partner with their families in providing the personalized attention that kids with communicative challenges need – and frankly, the attention that all kids deserve,” said CBH Executive Director Rich Garrett.
Founded in 2015 with a gift from the late Margaret H. Rollins and R. Randall Rollins, the Rollins Child Development Center serves 3- and 4-year-olds with communicative delays alongside their typically developing peers, giving them skills necessary for success in kindergarten and elementary school. The classroom model adopts full inclusion of students with speech and language delays.
Garrett said, “Research shows us that students with delays learn much more quickly by being surrounded by their typically developing peers than they do from adults. By the time our students are ready for kindergarten, most of them no longer need an [Individualized Education Plan] for speech.”
The Rollins Child Development Center provides academic lessons in early literacy, science and math, in addition to arts, physical education and outdoor learning on the beach. “There really is no other classroom quite like ours,” said head teacher Kenna Chanoux. “Every day, we blend classroom learning with outdoor lessons in the most beautiful setting you can imagine.”
The completed campaign will endow classroom teacher positions with competitive compensation and promote teacher retention, while freeing up resources for classroom enrichment and financial aid. “If we are to fulfill our mission of serving vulnerable kids and families, we can’t depend on tuition dollars,” said Garrett. “This campaign, matched by the Rollins Family’s incredible gift, ensures that we can be here for the kids who need us for generations to come. I am so grateful for the strong and loyal support of Peggy and Randall’s children in their ongoing commitment to Children’s Beach House.”
Founded in 1936, Children’s Beach House serves children statewide through early childhood education, after-school programming, residential camps and family wrap-around services, helping children, families and communities build futures of hope and transformation. For more information, visit cbhinc.org or call 302-645-9184.
