Success Stories

Wyatt and Stevie

Wyatt and Stevie, now three years old, made a long journey from an orphanage in Vladyvostok, Russia to Wyoming a little over two years ago.  They also made a long journey from being two little babies, unrelated, malnourished, with a very grim future, to being active, cheerful brothers in a loving family that owes a lot of their progress to help from Children's Learning Center.

Steve and Lisa made a decision to expand their family through a Russian adoption but never dreamed that they would be the parents of two special needs boys until that moment of "divine intervention" when they visited the orphanage.    This couple, who had already raised one child, knew that they could not leave these two boys behind.  Both little boys were severely underweight and in grave medical condition.  When they finally arrived in Jackson, Steve and Lisa started to work with therapists from Children's Learning Center.

"Children's Learning Center took over and monopolized our lives." Lisa jokes.  "They jumped right into the boys' care.”

Physical therapy was provided to get the boys moving.  Despite Wyatt and Stevie both being about a year old, low bodyweight and other related problems impeded their developmental growth.  Wyatt didn't move on his own for several months after leaving Russia.   And even with a wealth of food and care now available, the process of learning how to eat and walk was difficult for both boys.  Children's Learning Center also provided occupational therapy to increase their learning skills and speech therapy as they progressed.

"Children's Learning Center has done a great job with the boys" says Lisa, "Not only in the help that they provide but in de-mystifying the whole thing for us.  It's amazing how a child can look totally normal but have such cognitive problems"

The boys attend a local daycare center where Learning Center staff visits them for therapy and trains the daycare staff in how best to care for the boys' developmental needs.

"The best thing about our Learning Center experience" say Steve and Lisa, " is the focus on shining a bright light on what the boys do well.  They may not pronounce one letter very well, but there are twenty-five others they do just fine with.  This program has really been what's best for the boys.   Children's Learning Center is not just what's best for children whose families are without resources, we have resources, but it's the best care available.  I don't think we could have gotten anything better."


          

Henry

Henry's father Mike is no stranger to the treatment of mental retardation.  Growing up, Mike's father was a nationally recognized authority on the subject and some of Mike's earliest memories are visiting institutions with his dad and hearing him talk about the concept of mainstreaming the mentally retarded.

When Henry was born three years ago with Downs Syndrome, a genetic condition that delays physical and intellectual development, Mike had an idea of what to expect and how to cope, but that didn't mean he and his wife Alex and their family didn't need a lot of help.
Henry started working with therapists from Children's Learning Center when he was two weeks old.  Children's Learning Center was there for the family, helping them understand what Henry's progress would look like and what therapy he might need.

"I had questions" Alex says, "How far would he go and how fast...it seemed like a big question mark.   I always felt comfortable asking the staff at Children's Learning Center anything and they were always honest with their answers."

Most of Henry's therapy was home-based until he started going to a Montessori preschool.  The same preschool one of his brothers attends.  He now receives speech therapy, physical therapy and other vital services at a community preschool from visiting Learning Center therapists.  There are several students there also in need of developmental therapy but primarily he is in a regular preschool environment interacting with his peers.  As his language skills have been slow to develop, Children's Learning Center has taught Henry basic sign language; a very useful tool for this lively child to make his thoughts and needs exceptionally clear.

Henry smiles a lot, communicates a lot and plays with the kind of energy you'd expect from a three year old.

"What I appreciate about the services that we get from Children's Learning Center" says Mike, "is that they understand how a busy family operates and are very flexible in how they work.  One of the reasons that Henry has been so successful is that his therapy is centralized in one place, with one agency."

"Children's Learning Center has helped sensitize the whole community to children with special needs," Mike continues.  "That pays big dividends for Henry."

When Mike looks at Henry today and how he'll start kindergarten with the rest of his friends, he's reminded of his father and how the work he did many years ago has come full circle with the help of Children's Learning Center.
            


Quinn and Tate

Starting daycare for your very young child is a leap of faith and sometimes a source of great anxiety.

"I knew I was pregnant with Quinn for about half a second when I put my name on a waiting list for a well-regarded local daycare center" said Anne laughingly.

She got lucky, when Quinn arrived, there was room for her at a trusted home daycare and Anne went back to work with confidence.  That confidence melted away when her daycare provider decided to close down.   A colleague suggested she call Children's Learning Center's Early Education Center (EEC).  Not realizing that Children's Learning Center provided daycare services to the community, not just to special needs kids.  Anne was surprised by the suggestion but called anyway.

A wonderful childcare relationship was born.

"I love the fact that she comes home singing new songs.  I love that they go places and do special projects."  Anne says of the EEC.  When her son Tate was born less than two years later, he started at the EEC when he was only several months old.

"The kids are happy and really well taken care of, they get a lot of personal attention.  Tate has his 'extra' grandmother there whom he considers right up there with the two he already had."  Anne says.

While they don't have a formal language immersion program, the teachers-aids that work with Quinn speak to the kids in Spanish which Anne and most of the other parents count this as a big bonus.

"My two year old can count in English and Spanish, I love that."  Anne smiles.

Children's Learning Center provides a limited amount of places at the EEC to the community at the lowest charge for daycare in the area.  Other spots are reserved for the children of Teton County school employees, employees of Children's Learning Center and for special needs kids.  Having all types of kids together in one program is also a plus for Anne.

"There is a respect and regard for kids who have disabilities or differences.  The EEC is a great thing."

Miram

When the Latino Coalition started working with Children's Learning Center to create an Early Head Start program for very young children, Miriam Morillon's first reaction was

"I can help, I can help"

Miriam came to Jackson from Mexico before starting her family.  Once her son Roney was born, finding good care and giving him the medical, nutritional and educational advantages that he needed were a top priority.  Meanwhile, Miriam's search for a promising job opportunity using the accounting degree she earned in Mexico was not progressing as she'd hoped.  She worked babysitting and housecleaning instead.

When the Early Head Start program got underway, Roney enrolled in the program and Miriam's and Roney's life began to change in ways they could have never imagined.
Early Head Start is a federally funded program that benefits children birth through age three whose family meets minimum income requirements.  One of the distinguishing features of Early Head Start is that the parents of enrolled children provide the managerial oversight of the program.  Miriam served on the Policy Council, working with Children's Learning Center staff.

"It made me feel important, we made policies, we supported the teachers, and we reviewed financial information for the Early Head Start.  We made good things happen for the children in the program."  Miriam says.

Good things for Roney included a caring, compassionate teaching staff that Miriam appreciated for the close relationship they had with the children and families they worked with.  Roney learned English as well as Spanish and recognizes how to communicate in both languages.

Good things were in store for Miriam as well.  During this time, Children's Learning Center had an opening for a bookkeeper and knowing Miriam's background, asked her if she'd like to come work for them.   Miriam is now the Director of Finance for Children's Learning Center.

"You come here and you have a dream," Miriam recalls.  "It's so hard to open doors but you keep trying.  I feel so lucky, I found the door."

Marcus

Four years after his birth, Anna and Jeff still don't have an exact diagnosis for Marcus or know what caused his developmental delays, but they know for certain that Children's Learning Center has helped him learn and grow.

"It was apparent that something just wasn't right with Marcus" Anna explains. So at six months they were advised by their family physician to take him for screening at Children's Learning Center.  Problems were apparent in just about every part of his development.  Children's Learning Center therapists got him started immediately with physical therapy.

Over the course of Marcus's involvement with Children's Learning Center, Anna and Jeff have been provided with an arsenal of tools to help Marcus.

"Until you have a child with special needs, you have no idea the scope of services that Children's Learning Center can provide" Anna says. "And all the elements of his care are under one roof." Jeff adds.  Children's Learning Center provides Marcus with occupational therapy along with his physical therapy and speech therapy as well.

Marcus has required medical care beyond his therapy that was accomplished with doctor referrals from Children's Learning Center.  "They've referred us to every specialist we've needed, saving us time and energy."  Jeff continues that Children's Learning Center was active in making sure the medical service providers that cared for Marcus were always up to speed on his condition.  Children's Learning Center has even given advice on issues regarding Marcus's medical insurance, a concern most people find daunting to navigate.

Marcus now attends the inclusive preschool twice a week.  He is in a regular classroom and his parents could not dream of a better situation for him.  His therapy is constantly reinforced at school and he is pushed at every level to continue to develop.  There is an active dialogue at Children's Learning Center to figure out the best way to encourage Marcus along.

"The consistency and caliber of every staff member is phenomenal" says Anna.  Since Marcus has a difficult time communicating, they write me a full description of his day, including photos.  That shows a real depth of commitment."

And while both Anna and Jeff have taken great pains to educate themselves on Marcus's developmental issues, Children's Learning Center has pointed them in the right direction to find information, to find proper care and toward help for the whole family in dealing with the ups and downs of having a special needs child.

Emily

Grace just can't stop commenting on how adorable her three-year-old daughter Emily is.  Like so many parents, Grace sees Emily as a constant revelation.  With help from Children's Learning Center, Grace is comfortable enough with being a parent to really appreciate Emily and enjoy her childhood.

Emily started Early Head Start when she was seven months old.  Children's Learning Center would come to Grace's home, educating, assisting, and helping make sure that Emily was doing well.  When Emily had infant weight loss issues, Children's Learning Center helped Grace figure out how best to feed her so that she could grow and thrive.  Most importantly, they helped Grace learn how to help Emily; giving Grace, a young parent, the confidence to be a better parent.

When Grace was younger, she had problems with anxiety as had other members of her family. Grace feels that Children's Learning Center is helping to break that cycle with Emily.  She's sure that this early intervention will help Emily develop healthier coping mechanisms and be happier in school.

During the time that Emily was in Early Head Start, Children's Learning Center would sponsor different social and educational opportunities for Early Head Start families.  Besides the advantage of Emily playing with other children, the programs often featured classes that were of interest to parents.

"During one Christmas, they gave us a talk about age-appropriate toys and gifts" Grace recalls.  "They always did programs that were really useful."

Emily is now attending Children's Learning Center Preschool in Big Piney.  When she first, started, there was some separation anxiety but with help and patience from Children's Learning Center, Emily seems to have overcome them.

"She gets all the attention she needs there.  All the kids get the attention they need there." Grace says.  And wistfully comments on how cute Emily is.