Small Steps Nurturing Center Fifth Ward Campus

Maestro Cares Foundation is funding the expansion of the Small Steps Nurturing Center 5th Ward Campus. The center provides early education to Latino and African American children at no cost. This is the third Maestro Cares Foundation project in the contiguous United States and the first project in Houston.

The 5th Ward Campus currently serves 190 students in the 5th Ward and Gulfton/Sharpstown communities in Houston, Texas. This expansion will enable the center to serve 60 more children ages 2-5. New building elements will include four more classrooms, two therapist offices, a covered drive-up, drop-off and waiting area, eight more parking spots, and a large multipurpose space at the back of the building.

Small Steps is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1995 after van drivers for the local Bible School noticed younger siblings being left at home without supervision or access to early education.

The first few years of a child's life are crucial for their development, but public funding focuses on education for grades K-12. That leaves the 2-5 age group at a disadvantage. At the Small Steps Nurturing Center, children from low-income backgrounds receive this important early education in a safe, nurturing, and intellectually stimulating environment.

In the neighborhoods that Small Steps serves, more than 50% of children live below the poverty line, and the organization is working to close the gap and provide children living in poverty with opportunities for early education.