This Valley Stream preschool celebrates 15 years with scholarship fund kick off gala

For over a decade, droves of families have entrusted the early development and socialization of their toddlers and children to The Elite Scholars Christian Academy, which opened its doors largely to children from underserved backgrounds.

The Valley Stream day care and early childhood education center has prided itself on working closely with families to lay the basic building blocks of their early learning and socialization.

“We desire to create well-rounded students by pouring into them not only academically, but socially, emotionally, spiritually,” said CEO Paula Mills, whose team currently hosts 12 children for children ages one to six.

This month, the organization will celebrate its 15th anniversary during a charity award gala on Jan. 28 at Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 1790. The occasion will also serve to unveil the preschool’s nonprofit scholarship award program, the Linnette Y. Franklyn-Brown Elite Scholarship Foundation, which will grant its inaugural round of scholarships in the form of financial aid and mentorship assistance to three promising students.

“Linnette Y. Franklyn-Brown is my late aunt. She passed a few months ago,” Mills said. “She was a licensed practical nurse, and she loved people and loved to give. We want to keep her legacy going and also kind of live out exactly how she lived out her life.”

This year, two college freshmen and alumni of the preschool program, Angelique Brewington and Qeon Cayenne, are recipients of the “Elite Scholarship Award.” Brewington is a freshman at Oberlin College & Conservatory in Oberlin, Ohio pursuing a double degree in French horn performance at the conservatory and an undeclared major at the college of arts and science. Brewington has aspirations to become a studio artist and record orchestral music for Hollywood movie soundtracks.

Cayenne is a freshman at Marist College in Poughkeepsie. He’s enrolled in the Games and Emerging Media program, pursuing his long-held dream to be on the creative side of the gaming industry. His longstanding love for gaming slowly grew into a serious interest in turning concepts, stories, and designs into playable games.

“During their time at the academy, Angelique and Qeon were joined at the hip. And I remember from an early age Angelique demonstrating leadership skills, directing students on what we were going to do today,” said Mills. “As for Qeon, I remember he’s always had a desire to take things apart and build something.”

“I’m very blessed and thankful to be receiving this scholarship,” said Angelique. “And it’ll definitely come into use for school like for supplies, textbooks, and whatnot, because those can be very pricey. And anything else that might come along with school.”

Cayenne also expressed appreciation and gratitude, saying he aims to use that money to help pay for his school materials or fund his tuition. 

Delena Pierre, a first-generation immigrant and a first-generation college student, is this year’s recipient of the “Beauty for Ashes” scholarship. The scholarship provides aid to students who show financial need and academic promise, have overcome obstacles, and contributed meaningfully to the community.

Pierre’s family heritage is from Trinidad and Tobago and she is a first-year student at Carnegie Mellon University where she plans to declare a major in International Relations and Political Science with an additional major in human-computer interaction.

“When you sort of start your learning journey young, the academic rigor and the academic grind only gets more and more intense. I have so much respect for individuals like Paula who, spend a lot of time and effort honing young people’s academic skills that will ultimately propel them forward,” said Pierre. “When I first came to this country, I really struggled with literacy. My mom didn’t have a lot of spare income, but when she did have money, she spent it on a tutor. And that investment set me up for a good academic future.”

Mills plans to continue his efforts to assist students throughout their educational journey.

“I’ve striven to be consistent in these student’s lives and in the lives of those who have been through my program, for as long as they want me to every step of the way,” said Mills. “Because that’s our job as educators.”