SACRAMENTO, CA -- St. HOPE Public Schools and UC Davis have launched an innovative preschool in Oak Park that combines quality education with assessment and interventions based on the latest knowledge about learning and early childhood development.

With the opening of the Triumph Center for Early Childhood Education on Tuesday, Sept. 4, St. HOPE Public Schools fulfills its goal, set nearly 18 years ago, of providing Oak Park children from preschool through high school with an education that is among the very best in the city, while UC Davis furthers its commitment to prepare the great teachers of tomorrow, discover better ways to help children learn, and improve the quality of life for children and families in underserved communities.

The new school, a collaboration of St. HOPE Public Schools, the School of Education at UC Davis and the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, is located in a newly renovated, state-of-the-art building located at 4104 Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., which was once home to the original St. HOPE Academy. Triumph will hold a grand opening celebration on Thursday, Oct. 18, to mark the completion of the St. HOPE vision. Triumph friends, family, the news media and community supporters will be invited to attend.

"We are proud that our Triumph families have entrusted us and committed to work with us to ensure their children have an outstanding experience here. We take our responsibility to them, their children and our community very seriously," said Cristin Fiorelli, director of the new preschool.

Founded in 1989 by NBA All-Star and Oak Park native Kevin Johnson, St. HOPE is committed to revitalizing inner-city communities through the arts, civic leadership, economic development and public education.

"September 4, 2007, will go down in St. HOPE history as the day we made good on our promise to provide an excellent pre-K through 12th-grade education model to Oak Park families," Johnson said. "Our organization has a passion for educating children in inner-city communities and teaching them about service for others. Triumph has set the standard for excellent preschool in this community, and it is my hope that our youngest students will one day return to their community to serve the next generation."

Research shows that children who attend high-quality preschool have stronger reading and math skills, are more likely to graduate from high school and college, and earn higher incomes as adults. Triumph's teachers, all of whom have bachelor's or more advanced degrees, will provide a research-based curriculum and work to create strong community and family partnerships.

The UC Davis School of Education seeks to integrate educational practice with educational policy through engagement with K-12 schools and communities. In addition to doctoral, master's and K-12 teaching credential programs, the school also provides professional development for practicing teachers and policy analysis for lawmakers. The UC Davis M.I.N.D. (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute is a collaborative center for research into the causes, preventions and treatments of neurodevelopmental disorders, including learning disabilities.

"By collaborating and sharing our resources and expertise, St. HOPE and UC Davis have established an exemplary urban preschool that brings the latest research about how children learn directly into the classroom for the benefit of children's intellectual, social, emotional and physical development," said Harold Levine, dean of the UC Davis School of Education.

"The M.I.N.D. Institute is proud to be able to lend its expertise to this important preschool education center," said Dr. Robert Hendren, executive director of the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute. "We will bring the best of what we know about early identification of children with special learning needs to this partnership. Working with the skilled teachers at Triumph, we will ensure that every student gets the best preschool education possible and is prepared for success in elementary school and throughout life."