Precious Lamb Preschool

We provide high quality, early education in a small private school setting at no charge for families experiencing homelessness in the greater Long Beach community. Our program meets the needs of parents with young children not yet in grade school and struggling to find permanent housing and work. Precious Lamb is located in the 90813 zip-code where the poverty rate is 26% and coupled with some of the highest domestic violence, drugs and homicide rates in the country.

These families often do not qualify for other forms of care, and are constantly living with issues related to addiction, poverty, domestic violence and health issues. Our small school setting allows for very personal and honest relationships with parents, and provide fast, meaningful assistance, including food and financial support, therapy and mentoring. We recently just launched both our Family Advocacy Program and an Early Intervention Program to provide even more resources and tools to both parents and students before they reach the LBUSD school system. We hope that you will join our mission to end the cycle of homelessness one child at a time so we can reach our goal of $10,000!

Testimonials

My name is Kobi Cannata. I was in the first graduating class of Precious Lamb. I was there from 2003-2004. It's funny when you are 3; you aren't consciously aware of your surroundings or what's happening in your life, and it takes a couple of years (well, more like 15) to truly be mindful of how big of an accomplishment it is to be where I am today. It all started with Precious Lamb. My mom and I lived in a recovery home in Long Beach called Flossie Lewis, where my mom had heard about this preschool. It had a sweet name, good people, and it was a safe place where I could learn and play! So my mom enrolled me, even though I wasn't potty trained, which was one of the requirements for attending preschool. Luckily, Sharalyn (the founder) was generous and kind; she potty-trained me so I could attend. One of my many significant milestones to happen at Precious Lamb!

Bella was my first friend; we lived at Flossie Lewis and attended Precious Lamb together, where we became best friends. We were pretty inseparable, actually. We went on to kindergarten together all the way to 4th grade, and then she moved to San Diego. Though it was devastating, we stayed in touch, and I will forever be grateful for the friendship not only Bella offered me but also the one her mom, Kelly, offered my mom. All solidified through Precious Lamb. This preschool is a large part of my story. It provided me with a good start that continued to hold throughout my life.

Since graduating from Precious Lamb, I have become the Most Inspiring Student for LBUSD in 2015. I graduated from Millikan High School of Long Beach and moved to Denver, Colorado, to pursue a degree in teaching. Unfortunately, my mother is no longer with us. She passed away in March 2019. She reminded me how grateful she was for Precious Lamb the entire time I had her. How incredible the staff and the volunteers were. She loved Sharalyn for her kindness, grace, and genuine care for the needs of the communities' children. I have since returned to serve at Precious Lamb, cleaning and organizing classrooms. It was very rewarding as a high school senior to go back to where it all began.

Preschool is the foundation for what is to come in a child's life. It introduces a child to the excitement of learning, playing, and curiosity. Precious Lamb did that for me. It gave me an opportunity that I might not have gotten otherwise. Precious Lamb has and continues to break the cycle of homelessness one child at a time, and it started with me. I am proud to say that I may have been the first, but I am not the last. Many children will come after me, following their dreams and achieving their goals. I cannot express the true depths of my gratitude to those who have worked and continue to work tirelessly to support children with a story like mine. Your compassion does not go unnoticed.