Whenever I give tours during the school year the number one question I get is, “Where are all the babies?” You see during the school year the house is very quiet during the daytime because all of our mothers are in school and all of our children are in daycare. Most of our children attend Caroline Mission which is a licensed and accredited Early Childhood Education Program operated by Neighborhood Houses.
Caroline Mission is a great option for the children at Almost Home because not only is it in walking distance of our facility but it provides a safe environment for the children with trained staff that use the Teaching Strategies GOLD curriculum and the Denver and Dial assessments to test for developmental delays.
Developmental delays are when a child is not reaching developmental milestones such as sitting, walking and communicating. Studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between poverty and developmental delays. Zero to Three has a great fact sheet that outlines how poverty affects children developmentally. Some highlights include:
- Children living below the poverty threshold are 1.3 times more likely than non-poor children to experience learning disabilities and developmental delays.
- More than one-third of children from low-income communities enter formal kindergarten classes already behind their peers and by fourth grade, more than 50% of these children will not meet the standard for reading proficiency.
- Extreme poverty can weaken developing brain architecture and permanently set the body’s stress response system on high alert.
Almost Home is so fortunate to have a partner agency that provides quality day care for our children. Since the children at Almost Home often come from poverty it is crucial that they are assessed for delays and if needed are provided with one-on-one therapy.
Well now that you know where all of the cutest members are hiding during the day I would like to invite you to tour Almost Home. To do so click here and fill out the tour form and I will be in contact with you shortly.
Best,
Ashlie Hutcherson,
Associate Development Director
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