We visited a childrens home on 3/17 and were extremely impressed with the way it was run. They house approximatley 42 children including 6 whole families. In my limited understanding, it appears to me to be similar to a DHS facility with funding from the government and private donations. There is a separate building that is a school for the children but is also a day care and after school facility for other children in the area as well. It was a beautiful and cheerful place. Elizabeth may be able to give further explaination as this is her area of expertise (non profits). They even employ social workers and a psychologist. These lovely young people specifically asked to shake my hand and pose for a picture. They were sweet enough to show us around their home. Faced with serious life issues, they remain happy and extremely welcoming.
I loved the residential setup; six kids to an apartment, along with a "mother" who lived there as well. In one, the kids had made a mural with rules for themselves and everyone had signed off on it. It's an age-old strategy for getting everyone's buy-in, but it definitely works well for these kids. They were so happy and welcoming it was difficult to remember that they'd all been removed from their homes due to violence, parental imprisonment, or another reason that typically would cause a great deal of trauma.
ReplyDeleteI was also impressed at how the director had found other sources of funding in response to government cuts; when they could no longer sustain care on government money alone, they opened the school to private-pay clients and used that profit to supplement the funding. It was easy to see why this model works; the facility is incredibly clean, light, and airy and the kids seem thrilled to be there. I haven't toured any other day care facilities, but I wouldn't have had a problem sending my daughter to this school.
Amazing! I love that they're throwing up the deuce for the camera. They seem genuinely happy. It woud be intersting to see how the facility compares to it's counterparts here. Do you know who runs it? Like a government entity or church or civic group?
ReplyDeleteKim, it's government-run. The director has been there for 30+ years. They post volunteer opportunities on their website and are consistently full of people doing special activities. Like, artists will volunteer to come in for special art programs, then end up volunteering their time on a regular basis. Having spent just a few minutes with those kids, I can understand why.
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