Early Childhood Centers rise up to support Steps for Students

Two Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province take a photo in the Catholic Schools Village at the 2024 Steps for Students 5K Race and Walk. The 2025 race is set for Feb. 8 in downtown Houston at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and registration is under way.  (Photo by James Ramos/Herald)

HOUSTON — Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Archdiocese’s Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk on Feb. 8, 2025, even more tiny pupils will put their youthful energy on the starting line.

Several local Early Childhood Centers that educate toddlers and preschoolers will be signing up for the first time to support the fundraiser to increase awareness of excellent Catholic education.

“As a Catholic preschool, we are excited to take part in this meaningful event,” said Sister Mary Theresa Thao-Ly Nguyen, OP, director of Mary Immaculate Preschool in northwest Houston.

She added, “Our goal is to introduce our preschool community to various Catholic schools, emphasize the importance of supporting Catholic education, offer families the opportunity to attend Sunrise Mass, participate in a race, and enjoy a post-race party in the Catholic School Village.”

Planning is already underway for one of the biggest Archdiocesan fundraisers for Catholic education to help schools and student tuition. Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk has raised up to $1 million in previous years for computers and school equipment, and its co-chairs, Roman Martinez and Diana Dávila Martinez, said they hope to create an even bigger celebration for the event’s 20th anniversary.

Sister Thao-Ly Nguyen has personally run the Steps for Students 5K for several years along with dozens of her fellow Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province.

But now the current 115 Mary Immaculate preschool students and their parents will also invited to register and participate in Steps to possibly raise funds to upgrade their children’s playground and safety gates, she said.

The students who learn in bilingual classes of English and Vietnamese are mostly Catholic, but some are Buddhists or other statuses. “Our school is now 29 years old, and we are closest to St. Jerome Catholic School or St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, so we want to invite our parents to come to the event and do a meet and greet with other schools for when their children graduate.”

Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church, located in the Cypress area, sponsors its preschool Genesis, which is also stepping up. The church’s primary school was named a 2024 National Blue Ribbon designation for academic excellence awarded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Melanie Gehrt, director of the Genesis Early Childhood Program, said, “My youngest daughter attended Genesis, then Christ the Redeemer Catholic School, and graduated from St. Agnes Academy, so raising awareness about all opportunities for Catholic education is both personal and professional for me.”

“There is always so much fun leading up to Steps each year at Christ the Redeemer,” Gehrt said. “This just seemed like a wonderful opportunity for community building.”

Genesis is also 29 years old this year, with a preschool enrollment of about 160 children and 40 staff members. “We do have a limited number of age-specific spaces available, but we also have a waitlist,” she said.

Camille Arnold, director of St. Ambrose Early Childhood Center in the Spring Branch area, said the school decided to accept the invitation to participate because several families have students both in the preschool and at St. Jerome Catholic School.

“I believe Steps is a fun way to build community between the two schools and to raise funds for much-needed equipment and supplies,” Arnold said.

St. Ambrose, at 21 years old, has a smaller enrollment of 39 students currently, with an opening for three more toddlers. “We do have a rather long wait list for the infant class because most of the parents want to start in January,” she said.

Many of the more than 50 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese officially kick off their Steps for Students registration with rallies and challenges between classes for 100% registration to win prizes. Early bird registration is available now, with fees rising on Oct. 30.

Each school designates its registration fees and donations to benefit its school directly and count toward the families’ fundraising goals. To support Catholic schools and receive the official race T-shirt without having to be present, a registration option is to “Hit the Snooze for Students.”

To register or be a sponsor, go to www.steps4students.org.