Amy was a very shy and quiet child who rarely smiled and never even spoke to her own family. Amy’s mother had recently passed away, and her brother and constant companion had autism. Amy’s father, Dave, knew he needed help with her development. He knew Amy was very behind academically and socially. So he called Way to Grow.
When Shamsa, a Way to Grow family educator, told him about Way to Grow’s program, he was interested. However, he expressed he didn’t understand how two, one-hour in-home visits per month and three hours of daily preschool would change his daughter.
Last fall, Amy started attending Preschool Pals, Way to Grow’s daily preschool program, while her entire family started meeting with the family educator. Amy’s first days at preschool were tough. She didn’t want to open up to her teacher or other students at school. But quickly, that all changed.
Dave was happy to report that his daughter had found her voice. The dynamics of the home have also changed dramatically. The entire family is now working together better. Dave has shared that Amy is now confident, outgoing and has many new friends at school.
Her preschool teacher and family educator have stated that Amy is now a leader in the classroom. She loves helping with special projects and goes out of her way to make the new kids in class feel welcome. She also no longer sits in the corner all by herself and plays. Instead, she constantly generates new games to play with all the kids.
Since starting Way to Grow, Amy has learned all her letters and loves to read with her dad and brother. She also is comfortable serving as a little interpreter for her family. At one time, Amy would be terribly afraid of new people, but now she helps translate for her dad as they navigate their community.
Way to Grow is proud of Amy and her family and can’t wait to hear about all her success when she starts kindergarten next year.
