Raising children is perhaps the hardest job in the world — everyone needs a little help from time to time — and those early years are so important for many reasons. Parents want to give their best to their children, to give them the best-possible start, but what if your child needs a little extra help with something that’s beyond your expertise? What if you need a little help to find the right tools to give your child the best start?
Bridging the gap
For Emily Ruden Jones and her family, ChildStrive was “their bridge to not ever being alone.” Emily’s twins, Eleanora and Cruz were struggling with communication delays and body regulation which required a specialized tool set. Emily says that the help she got from Renee Farr, Early Childhood Special Educator at ChildStrive, was instrumental in creating harmony in her home. “Renee came right into our home and looked at what we needed to make our family work better together. She gave us the confidence and the right tools tailored to our children’s unique issues.”
All in a day’s work
Renee is modest, noting that “Emily is wonderful to work with. I really admire her, she’s in tune and reflective — I love working with this family — Cruz and Eleanora are great kids.”
Renee describes the program as a collaborative effort designed to help with the foundations of speech and social and emotional development through special education saying, “We work with the parents and the children together to help them reflect and to support them while providing tools that work for them allowing them to build on that foundation for years to come.”
Of course, every child and every family is unique and Renee looks at each child’s learning style so that she can find ways to support the parents within the family unit — in the child’s natural environment, the family home. Personally, Renee works with 15 to 20 families at a time and her dedication shows. “I love my job, especially working with families like Emily’s.”
Along with expert educators like Renee, ChildStrive there are occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech language pathologists and family counselors to help support children and their caretakers with their developmental delays or challenges.
Eleanora and Cruz are thriving and enjoying preschool. The two, with their family, worked with ChildStrive, whose expert educators, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech language pathologists and family counselors and others.
A good foundation for better outcomes
How is the family doing now that the kids are attending preschool?
“It’s going really well,” Emily says. “They don’t have a lot of words, but they can communicate through their behavior — they feel good about their preschool world.”
Even though the kids are older now, Emily notes that, “ChildStrive continues to support us through a program called “Parents as Teachers” — it’s an amazing resource for us that helps us so much — they provided the magic and went above and beyond!”
Find out more
If you would like to know more, check out ChildStrive’s coming virtual event: Together for Families, a Virtual Conversation and Benefit that brings together experts in early childhood, healthcare professionals, and more to discuss a range of topics. Join them to explore topics important to all families! This event is running on April 28 2022 beginning at 10 a.m. RSVP here! Find them on Facebook here. You can call
