How Blessed Sacrament Academy impacts San Antonio's shared Community Vision
Blessed Sacrament Academy has been serving low-income San Antonio families in need since 1926. Children born in poverty are labeled from birth as at-risk for poor academic and health outcomes. Our Child Development Center serves predominantly Hispanic (89%) infants and toddlers, ages 6 weeks to 5 years, from low-income (90%) urban San Antonio neighborhoods. The Center maintains a highest 4-Star Texas Rising Star rating for quality, is home to an Early Head Start program, and has completed work to earn NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) accreditation. Each year, we overcome expectations that at-risk children will fail by providing a quality education that "graduates" kindergarten-ready children who meet or exceed kindergarten entry standards and requirements. We focus on ages 0-5, because 90% of a child's brain has developed by age 5. Studies show that early high-quality education measurably improves at-risk children's opportunities to be successful in school and in life. The Center is also home to our dual generation Family Success Academy. Because parents, as a child's first teachers, are so critical to their success in school and in life, we follow a holistic approach to providing parents, children and other families the best tools and positive dual-generation learning activities to encourage and enhance their children's learning and health progress. On our grounds, we have integrated indoor classroom learning with outside learning spaces. This includes a children's sensory learning garden. Healthy children learn more, which is why our garden and outside play/learn spaces focus on growing healthy foods, eating healthy foods, teaching healthy eating habits and hosting healthy outside exercise. We integrate inside and outside learning with our online learning center and mail-home learning programs. Also on our grounds is the Por Vida Academy Charter High School, a unique San Antonio charter school which specifically and intentionally meets the varying educational and emotional needs of teens on the verge of permanently dropping out of school.