Joyce Preschool | MHBA Scholarship Fund

About 15 percent of Latino children in Minneapolis dropped out of high school in 2009 because their education is an uphill battle — they have been struggling with literacy, writing and other basic education skills since they were 4 years old. Every year they've fallen further behind, and every year it gets harder to catch up. Over a third of Latino dropouts in Minnesota live in Hennepin County. The Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association and Joyce Preschool are trying to give them a foundation to stand on.

The Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association (MHBA) and Joyce are proud to continue their partnership raising scholarship money to ensure low-income Latino children have access to quality preschool education. In the fall of 2009, Joyce and the MHBA jointly launched the the Joyce Preschool | MHBA Scholarship Fund.

With support from the MHBA, Joyce Preschool is hosting its third annual Barristers' Breakfast this fall, bringing together members of the legal community to raise awareness regarding early childhood education.

Speakers such as Senator Patricia Torres Ray, local attorneys Lisa and Nelson Peralta, and HNBA President-elect Peter Reyes have addressed the audience at the Barristers’ Breakfast on the importance of early childhood education. For Reyes, diversity in the legal profession begins when a child learns to read — without adequate reading, writing and math skills, children will not graduate high school, and without a diploma cannot attend college. The importance of quality early childhood education extends beyond career and professional potential; children who receive quality early childhood education are much less likely to be held back in school or need special education, more likely to be literate by the third grade, to complete high school, to remain free from crime, to get a good job, and to support a family.

Supporting the MHBA's scholarship fund means supporting diversity in the professions and strengthening our community, one student at a time.