Family in need finds help from West Haven Community House

Note: the United Way of Greater New Haven supports the West Haven Community House's School Age Child Care and Kids in the Neighborhood (KIN) after-school enrichment programs.

A West Haven mother, Marialena, has two children enrolled in the Community House’s School Age Child Care (SACC) program. Michael, who was in third grade during the 2010-2011 school year, was enrolled in our before and after-school program at Seth Haley School. Emily, a kindergartner in 2010-2011, attended our before school and Kinder-klub at Molloy School, and in the afternoons she attended our after-school program at Seth Haley.

Michael has been in our program since 2008 and Emily joined us this past year. Late fall in 2010, the family household went through some difficult and drastic changes. The children’s father suffered with health issues, and left the home after a court restraining order was served against him. It was an extremely difficult time for the family, emotionally and financially.

Despite the issues, their "extended family" at the West Haven Community House was there for them.

Our SACC staff worked with Mom and provided support for the children. The Head Teacher at Seth Haley also played an important role in assisting Michael to adjust, understand and learn to control some of his emotions and behaviors. The teacher and Mom communicated daily. For Mom, knowing that her son’s needs were being addressed, this helped relieve some of her stress. Of course, the teacher also served as a positive male role model for Michael.

But that was not the end of it. Mom then began to face financial difficulties and was unable to meet her child care payments. She desperately needed to maintain her child care as her income was her only financial resource.

Again, the Community House rose to the occasion, as our program was able to provide a scholarship to assist her while her Care-4-Kids application was being processed.

With the 2010 holidays approaching and the lack of finances still weighing heavily on the family, our program was able to connect them to a benefactor who adopted the family for the 2010 holidays – and Mom and the children were taken care of during the holiday season.

With her children in wrap-around childcare at the Community House, Mom has been able to maintain her employment.

Since that time and throughout the new year in 2011, things have improved for the family.

Mom is constantly thanking and praising the Community House staff who helped her and her little ones through such a traumatic period in their lives.

But that’s what family is for – to help each other when it’s needed most.