![\"Children\u2019s](\"https:\/\/lamesacourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/CB2.jpg\")
<\/a>This year, it\u2019s estimated that between 200 and 250 CBCC students, parents and family members participated in the Friday night event, which aimed to promote a greater awareness and appreciation for the different cultures represented at the center.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started the multicultural night last year after a parent brought the idea to us and our administrative supervisor, Stephanie Marroquin, went with it,\u201d Cortese said. \u201cWe wanted to include the different ethnicities we have in the school and show different cultures, and counties throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Marroquin said she felt it was important to enhance students\u2019 appreciation of other cultures because the school is a melting pot.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have 112 students between the ages of 6 weeks and 5 years enrolled at CBCC and we get students from all over,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have some that don\u2019t speak English. We have some that are from China, Japan, Iraq, Iran and we have a couple that are from Africa. We have a lot of different cultures here and we want to make sure the kids are inclusive and that they realize that differences are beautiful. We felt it\u2019s good to start to teach them about accepting differences while they are young because we hope it will have a great impact on them when they are older.\u201d<\/p>\n In preparation for the event, a letter was sent to parents asking parents to prepare a hot or cold dish representing their family\u2019s heritage.<\/p>\n In the classroom, teachers formulated lesson plans that focused on a country of their choosing, and the students created art projects and display boards that featured what they learned.<\/p>\n Marroquin said the art was then sold, and that the money that was raised was donated to Nothing But Nets, a nonprofit organization which delivers bed nets to children who live in malaria-stricken areas.<\/p>\n The money raised as part of this year\u2019s multicultural night will allow the organization to purchase 22 nets.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a very close-knit center and we have so many amazing staff members and parents, it blows my mind,\u201d Marroquin said. \u201cLast year, our first year, we received way more than we anticipated in terms of food and parent involvement. We had two parents who bonded up and rolled lumpia together for a couple of hours and we hope the more that we do it, and the more we get the word out, that more parents will want to be involved.\u201d<\/p>\n Marroquin said the feedback from the families who participated in this year\u2019s multicultural night was extremely positive.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople were really impressed with the food and with a lot of kids being picky, it was great to see them try different foods from around the world,\u201d she said. \u201cWe had lentils from Africa and we had one parent who said he hadn\u2019t seen a certain type of seasoning since he was deployed in Iraq. It was a great way for parents to meet up and talk, for kids to try food and to broaden the horizons of the children.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information on the CBCC, including its programs, curriculum and enrollment requirements, visit charleybrownchildrenscenter.org<\/a> or call 619-463-5126.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>