In honor of Earth Day, 12 volunteers from Cargill worked with experts from Prairie Restorations to plant 130 shrubs along the Minnehaha Creek shoreline at St. David's Center. The support came from a $15,000 Cargill grant to sustain St. David's Center's School Forest.
 
This is the third time Cargill has volunteered at St. David's Center in the past three years and another group is expected later this spring.

May 19 - 28: Early Childhood Education Year-end Programs
Sept. 26: Autism Speaks' Walk Now for Autism
Oct. 3: Fall Festival
Mar. 6: Annual Gala

Forget superpowers of flight or strength, Pookha's superpowers include her gentle ability to remain calm no matter what tasks are asked of her. With Pookha's help, children in the Autism Day Treatment program have a fun way to learn self-help skills such as getting dressed and brushing your teeth, or how to follow directions and take turns.

Did you know that American children now spend more than 44 hours a week in front of a screen? This is more than any other activity than sleeping! To help keep your children away from the screen this summer, here are some tips and tools from the National Institute on Media and Family as well as St. David's Center teachers and therapists.

Many thanks to the children, families and staff at our Crystal site for their understanding and support as we prepare to close the facility at the end of May. This decision comes after a nearly four-year program presence in Crystal and a thorough and thoughtful review of our options. We wish everyone well and look back fondly at our time there.

St. David's Child Development & Family Services is now St. David's Center for Child and Family Development. With the new name, came a new logo and tagline: Embrace. Enrich. Empower. This will soon be followed with a new Web site coming later this summer.

In March, our 2009 Annual Gala with Honorary Chair Sid Hartman surpassed its fundraising goal, raising more than $156,000 in net proceeds. The proceeds, which include $29,000 specifically for our Family Place therapeutic preschool and school-readiness initiatives, will support programs at St. David's Center. Thank you to all of our generous Gala sponsors, volunteers, donors and guests who made this event a huge success.

St. David's Center is excited to announce four significant grants:

St. David's Center welcomes new members to its Board, starting June 1.

St. David's Center is now on Facebook! If you have a Facebook profile, become a "fan" of St. David's Center and invite your friends and families to do the same. This is just one more way to stay up-to-date and connected to what's going on at St. David's Center.