The Lutheran Early Learning Center, Recipient

The Lutheran Early Learning Center of Warman, Saskatchewan, believes learning can happen anywhere. That’s why its all-inclusive program helps children expand their horizons with off-site activities. But organizing and keeping track of the children during these outings can be a challenge. The solution: promotional T-shirts. Making organization easy as ABC Lutheran Early Learning Center children show off their promotional T-shirts.The Lutheran Early Learning Center provides education and childcare to about 250 children ages 18 months to 12-years-old in three Saskatchewan locations. The center’s goal is to “nurture and care for them in the development of heart, mind, body and spirit with secular and Christian learning activities,” Warman’s Executive Director Kim Randall said. To provide a well-rounded learning experience for the children, the center organizes frequent off-site activities so children can discover “the real world.” Those excursions have included visiting community organizations, taking part in recreational activities, visiting various cultural heritage sites, and discovering nature within local neighborhoods. Organizing these events with groups of children can be stressful and challenging. So Randall requested promotional T-shirts through the 4imprint® one by one® grant program to make the outings less of a challenge for staff. By having the children wear matching shirts, staff could easily identify them when taking a head count. “It definitely eased the anxiety and stress of taking kids on an excursion. There are always kids who are a little more curious and want to explore. Having the kids wear the same color allows staff to pick them out of a crowd quicker and easier,” Randall said. Shirts work double-duty In addition to making children easily identifiable, the T-shirts also served as an added security measure. The shirts were customized to include the organization’s name and phone number—in case a curious child wandered too far from the group. “Having a child wander off is an educator’s biggest fear, so this is a great preventative measure ensuring that does not happen,” Randall explained. For these reasons, Randall said the grant’s promotional T-shirts were a blessing because they allow the center to offer the children more enriched learning experiences. The shirts will be washed and reused for every outing. “These are the kind of products that are necessary but have a hard time falling into the budget,” she said.