Child Development
. . . provides the answers to parents’ questions such as: Why isn’t my baby sitting up? Why isn’t my baby crawling? Is my child’s hearing/vision normal? From the time they are born, babies have a lot of new skills to learn, so it’s a concern to parents when their child’s development seems slow. Our dedicated team of licensed therapists and staff provide services to promote the best possible developmental outcomes – a child’s first time to consume food by mouth instead of a feeding tube, a hearing impaired child’s first time to communicate to his or her parents using sign language – these children inspire us to work hard so they can have the best life possible.
Youth Development
. . . provides employment assistance for homeless youth. It is difficult to live on the streets, it is even more difficult to find a job if your clothes are wrinkled, you are hungry and you don’t have identification. One such youth has inspired us; after many years of living on the street and sleeping in the bushes and beaches, he decided that it was time for him to make some positive changes in his life. We provided assistance with the employment application process, clothing for the interview and with obtaining identification documents. This former homeless youth is currently working and has an apartment, he can look forward to having a good life off the streets.
Enhanced Healthy Start
. . . provides a supportive partner to parents at-risk for losing their young children to the foster care system. One such family that our staff worked with had already lost two children to the system, but were allowed to bring their new baby home from the hospital. The mother’s mental illness required her to take medication consistently, and our nurse helped her work out a plan that met her needs. Our counselor helped both parents understand how their fights hurt their child and they are learning how to resolve their conflicts peacefully. And lastly, our home visitor is teaching the parents the basics of child care. This family is working hard with our staff to become capable parents, and their hard work inspires our staff to go the extra mile with this and other families.