Original blog post by Jalyssa Alvarado
Jalyssa Alvarado, a 24-year-old mother to three daughters, has come a long way. Like many parents, Jalyssa and her husband want to do what’s best for their kids. That’s why they enrolled in Save the Children’s Early Steps to School Success program.
Victoria Beeson, a Save the Children program coordinator, regularly visited the Alvarado family. She began making home visits when Jalyssa’s youngest daughter, Jayla, was a baby. Today, Jayla is five years old and is thriving.
Through Jalyssa’s home visiting experience, she learned new things about parenting that she didn’t know about before.
“Victoria showed us how to make toys from stuff we had at home,” Jalyssa recalls. “They learn from all sorts of things, like using a string and Fruit Loops.”
More importantly, Jaylssa realized that the power of education can lead to a brighter future, not only for her kids, but for herself.
“My experience with home visiting helped me build confidence to go back to school and pursue a career as a medical assistant,” says Jalyssa.
Going back to work will mean Jalyssa’s husband won’t have to work two jobs anymore, allowing them to spend more time together as a family.
“No matter what struggles you have faced in life, education can make all the difference,” says Jalyssa.
Programs like Early Steps to School Success prove that home visiting is an effective way to empower parents, like Jalyssa, be the best parents they can be. Because Jalyssa participated in a home visiting program, the lives of her daughters – including Jayla – have been transformed.
Congress has until tomorrow to renew the Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting program (MIECHV), which matches at-risk moms and dads and their kids with trained community members to support child literacy and teach parenting skills.