When Sarah* first enrolled her son at Community Kids Learning Center, the two were staying at a domestic violence shelter. She didn’t have family in the area.
“I had no job, no ID, no car. Nothing.”
She and her two-year-old were homeless for nearly a year, living in shelters and motels.
During that time, she started working through the W-2 program and was able to use the drop-in care at Community Kids. It was hard to leave her son, but she needed to build up her job history. She had a big gap on her resume during her relationship with her abusive ex, preventing her from finding a job on her own.
She finally found a job at a fast food restaurant in Janesville. Without transportation, she had to plan around bus schedules to drop her son off at Community Kids, then ride across town to start her shift. It was more than three hours of travel just to commute to work within the Janesville city limits.
Given her history, she was very nervous leaving her toddler at Community Kids, but the staff reassured her that her son would be safe.
This reliable child care allowed Sarah to maintain her job for three years.
She has a car.
She has housing.
She now has a higher-paying job in an industry that helps others.
Her family has grown and all three children have attended Community Kids Learning Center, at times using scholarships provided by generous grant support from United Way Blackhawk Region.
Community Kids staff members helped Sarah navigate many stages of parenting, ensuring her children are receiving the best care possible.