If you ever attended preschool or “aftercare” when you were younger, images of playdough, the monkey-bars, containers filled with barbies, or paint sets may come to mind. This is a fun-filled time in life, and without a good program to go to, people would not experience it. In the lowerincome Canal District of San Rafael, the Canal Childcare Center provides preschool and aftercare programs for three to eight year-olds.They have been doing so for 30 years.The Center offers a sophisticated and developmentally appropriate curriculum, tutorial support, nutritional food, and many other important factors that all preschools should have.What the Center needs most are volunteers. Teens from different high school come to volunteer after school or in the summer, but they still need more help.The children need people to play with them, volunteers to help them with homework, etc. The Center also needs more outside play equipment, such as balls, sandbox toys, and small bikes. By helping the Canal Childcare Center, you can help create a positive future for children in the Canal area.