T&G Santa Fund: Webster Square Day Care due for visit from Santa
WORCESTER — One hundred and fifty local children of “at-risk" families will know at least one joy of a traditional yuletide this year when they open T&G Santa gifts placed under their tree by the Webster Square Day Care Center.
Alynson Mirabal has been a Webster Square home-based family day care provider for 24 years. This Christmas, she has six children ages 1 to 4 in her care.
“The T&G Santa program will help a lot of kids,” she said. “For some of mine, it’s the only gift they will receive for Christmas. It’s a tradition and they know that children get presents on Christmas and they look for them. But I don’t know if their parents can afford it. I do know the parents are so thankful for the help.”
One of those thankful parents is 33-year-old Cassandra, whose four children range in age from 6 months to 12 years. Two of the four are in the Webster Square home day care program.
“A traditional Christmas is important for children,” Cassandra said. “Not everybody believes in the same thing but it’s important that the parents who do believe in Christmas are able to have something for their children. I think the T&G Santa gifts are a wonderful opportunity for everybody involved. It takes the stress off of parents that don’t have much.”
Since 1938, the T&G Santa Fund has brightened Christmas for thousands of local children under the care of nonprofit service agencies and organizations, such as Webster Square.
The newspaper partners with the United Way of Central Massachusetts, turning monetary donations from businesses, foundations, organizations and our readers into toys and books.
In this, its first year with T&G Santa, Webster Square has requested gifts for 150 children.
“We will wrap everything and note it’s from Santa,” program coordinator Di-Ann Ethier said. “We will get the gifts out to the child family care providers the week before and we will have the preschool parents pick up gifts in the office.”
Webster Square, at 39 Queen St., provides full-day, full-time center-based group and family day care programs for children ages 2 years and 9 months to 7 years.
“Our family day care system of up to 20 homes is monitored by the state,” Ethier said. “It’s all state-subsidized. We only serve at-risk families. Half of our population is (state Department of Children and Families) involved."
The nonprofit has provided comprehensive, quality services to children and families in the Worcester area for more than 50 years.
Its preschool and day care are supplemented by, in part, a full nutrition program, health education, social services and identification and remediation of learning delays, physical and developmental delays and disabilities.
Program eligibility calls for parents to be working, in school or training, or have a disability. At the time of intake, the family income must be at or below 50% of the state median to qualify for basic income-eligible slots.
It is for the children of those financially stressed families that the 84-year tradition of T&G Santa continues.
Last year, more than 1,000 donors gave nearly $110,000, enabling the purchase of 10,627 toys and 1,691 books for 5,267 children in need.
The United Way identifies nonprofit family and child service organizations, such as Webster Square, to receive the gifts and place them in the hands of the children they serve.
Webster Square is among 21 acting as T&G Santa’s helpers this year.
The others are Canterbury Elementary School; Catholic Charities Southbridge and Worcester; Centro Inc.; the state Department of Mental Health; Devereux Therapeutic Foster Care; Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health; Friendly House; Gardner CAC; The Guild of St. Agnes; Jeremiah’s Inn; Pernet Family Health Service; Rainbow Child Development Center; Salvation Army of Fitchburg, Greater Milford, and Worcester; Spanish American Center; Worcester Housing Authority; Winchendon CAC and Yes We Care. To donate to T&G Santa online please go to telegram.com/santa.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Telegram & Gazette Santa to visit Webster Square Day Care in Worcester
