There are hundreds of thousands of young children and their families whose lives have been touched by services provided through the funding and support of Proposition 10 dollars and the Children and Families Commission. Each has a unique story. Some have shared their stories with us. We want to share them with you.
Helping High Risk Moms Beat the Odds
MOMS Orange County
Susan, her husband Tom, and her preschooler, Lisa, relocated to Orange County for Tom’s job. A year and half later, Tom lost both his job and their health insurance and Susan was pregnant with their second child. Susan had gestational diabetes during her first pregnancy, and her baby was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for complications resulting from diabetes in pregnancy. Upon hearing this, the school nurse from her daughter’s preschool referred Susan to MOMS Orange County for prenatal care services. MOMS staff provided Susan with a comprehensive health screening. She was given pregnancy information, a referral to Social Services for Medi-Cal, and a referral to a high risk obstetrician. Susan began her prenatal care during the very crucial first trimester and was supported in making lifestyle decisions that reduced her risk of developing diabetes. Susan did not develop gestational diabetes with this pregnancy and gave birth to Davey a healthy boy. Susan’s doctor said that, “the availability of these services for Susan helped to shift her risk, from being very high risk, to much lower.”
Promoting Family Literacy
A little girl came with her mom to the community health clinic. I approached the mom and explained the program. The mother barely spoke English. I pointed to the information I have in Vietnamese. She smiled and with gestures asked if I could read to her daughter. I chose a book about opposites and while reading I was showing the pictures (for example, the difference between big and small and up and down). She was following with the movement to represent each word. The great thing was that not only did the child participate in reading, her mother was repeating the words with me too. Even though the program targets children, there is no doubt that parents benefit too. Parents enjoy the time they spend with their children and at the same time are learning about literacy. Minerva Saruwatari, Reach Out and Read Volunteer
Tustin Family Campus: Providing a Safe Home for Young Mothers and Children
The Mother and Child Residential Homes project is a new facility and program that supports families that are County Social Service Agency clients with children from birth to age five (0-5), that have substance abuse issues impacting their ability to support their children who could benefit from a residential program. Through collaboration between the County and Dependency Drug Court Program and the service program funded by the Commission, participating mothers have a safe and stable home for their children and the resources and support to develop appropriate parenting skills. The program enables mothers to learn and utilize life skills necessary for independence, self-sufficiency, maintenance of a drug free lifestyle, and practice essential skills such as housekeeping, grocery shopping, and meal preparation. Services are provided for up to 15 families at one time with an expected length of stay between nine and 18 months.
New Vista at Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Services
D.S. is a hard working mother of two little boys. When her husband was laid off, they could not afford their own place so they moved to a motel. D.S. worked full-time while her husband cared for their two young children, but he left them shortly after. Her income was too high to be eligible for assistance, yet half of her income went to childcare and the other half went to bills and the motel. She found New Vista at Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Services (FIES). The program assisted her with childcare so she could save that income. Within six months, she saved a sufficient amount of money to get her own apartment. When she graduated into her own apartment she had only a mattress with a few blankets and a toddler bed. FIES provided her with a “suitcase to go” full of all the necessities including dishes, cooking utensils, towels, a shower curtain, pots and pans, and sheets.