Posted August 15, 2024
Meet Malika, a mother who has her two children enrolled in our Early Learning Programs (ELP) at the Rainbow Terrace location!
Malika and her kids (Josiah (3) and Mason (1)) moved to the area this past December and Malika started looking for a place to enroll her kids.
Her mother recommended trying Catholic Charities ELP because she had had experience working within the organization.
“I heard a lot of good reviews. My mother actually worked here.” Malika said.
In the past 7 months, Malika has seen a positive change in her children.
“My three-year-old is talking way more. He’s doing his ABCs, his colors, his numbers…” Malika said, “My one-year-old, he’s talking a little bit… He’s saying little words,”
The staff at Rainbow Terrace has not only helped Josiah and Mason get a head start in school, but they have also helped Malika out as a parent.
“This daycare helped me get my son into Applewood because my son has behavior problems and ADHD,” Malika said.
Applewood is an organization that provides behavioral health and social services to children and their families.
“…I was having a hard time like figuring out what to do because he [Josiah] wakes up on go mode, stays on go mode,” Malika said, “So they[ELP] helped me get him into that program,”
With help from both Applewood and Catholic Charities, Josiah has learned how to do breathing exercises when he is feeling overwhelmed in situations.
“They [ELP] help him control, breathe… anytime he’s overwhelmed,” Malika said.
The exercises Josiah has learned have benefitted him so much that he has even started teaching his younger brother.
“He does it at home and he’ll even teach it to his brother, ‘Mason, just breathe. Go like this and breathe,’ so he does it at home too as well.” Malika said.
Catholic Charities ELP not only teaches the students tools that will benefit them in the classroom but also their personal lives.
“I like how he [Josiah] does something at school he can do it at home with his brother or with me,” Malika said.
Unlike other programs in the area, our ELP allows parents to be involved with their child(ren)’s learning and development while in our care.
“The other daycare’s my kids have been in, you couldn’t go to their little parties, you couldn’t go to their events, but this one, they actually let you attend,” Malika said.
Not only does ELP welcome parents and guardians to come to the child(ren)’s events, but they also let them visit the center during the day to see what their child(ren) is doing.
“They let me walk in and I might not even call I might just pop up and be like, ‘What is he doing, is he doing okay?’… And I peek my head in and I see for myself,” Malika said.
Catholic Charities ELP is offered in five different locations throughout Cuyahoga County.
To learn more about the Early Learning Programs please click the button below!
Part of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
