When it was time for their son Daniel to begin a kindergarten-readiness program, Blessing and Baba Samuel found that there was a shortage of affordable kindergarten-readiness programs. They tried to enroll him in two different programs, but neither worked out. Then fate stepped in and Blessing heard about the Parent and Early Childhood Education program at Neighborhood House.
“When we heard the program was only two hours a day, we were skeptical,” said Blessing. “What could they teach our son in such a small amount of time?” When she visited the classroom, she was pleasantly surprised by how warm and friendly the staff were and decided to give it a chance.
That wasn’t the only surprise—when it was time for Daniel to start school, he stopped using his voice. While other children were talking and having fun outside, Daniel remained silent. Baba said the staff went into action and came up with a plan: first, they would have Daniel see a speech therapist followed by a home visit. “He went to the speech therapist and they said Daniel was fine. It was the home visit that changed everything for him.”
“When the staff came over for a home visit, Daniel blossomed!” said Baba proudly. “They did a one-on-one session with him and were very encouraging and patient with him. This is when we saw him blossom, and now he’s a chatterbox!”
Blessing is amazed by what Daniel is learning. He smiles and joyfully tells her and his little sister Esther what he’s learned each day. “He’s learned about animals and numbers and letters! We’re so grateful to the staff there,” she said. “Any child who has a chance to start in this program is going to have a good start in getting ready for kindergarten.”
6/20/18