Willow* is a young mother living with her children in House of Ruth’s supportive housing. Her two-year old daughter Aria* and her infant son Lucas* are both enrolled in our Kidspace Child and Family Development Center.
When Aria first arrived at Kidspace as a young toddler, she barely spoke. She did a lot of observing and she listened well, but she interacted without words. She passed her developmental screening, but our experienced staff knew that her speech level did not match her other abilities. Our speech therapist worked with her from the very beginning, and she has made great progress. She now expresses herself verbally and speaks with confidence. In fact, one of her first spontaneous words was her brother’s name!
Aria’s positive adjustment to Kidspace is also evident in her morning routine. At first she had a really hard time separating from her mom in the mornings, which was very stressful for her and her mother. But now, she loves her teachers and walks right into the classroom, excited to jump in and start her day.
Lucas was just a small infant when he began at Kidspace. He is thriving under the consistent care of his loving teachers and his mom’s newfound stability. He is a happy baby, cooing and babbling, showing no signs of speech delays.
Willow was initially slow to warm up to Kidspace staff, but as she has watched her children thrive her trust has grown, and now she comes to staff for parenting support. She has even chosen to attend our parent committee meetings, contributing her voice to the Kidspace community.
*Names have been changed.