Five-year-old Mariah had a particularly challenging transition into the East End House School Age Program. When she first arrived in the program, Mariah was easily set off, disruptive and had a difficult time communicating her needs to program staff. To accommodate Mariah and help her build the skills she needed to succeed, staff utilized portable “chill bins” filled with sensory toys designed to aid children experiencing disruptive emotions by helping them return to a calm state, ready to participate in group activities. Staff also allowed Mariah to keep a stuffed animal from home for comfort, and created laminated cards to help her communicate her needs when she otherwise struggled to articulate them. While addressing her individual needs in program on a daily basis, staff also worked closely with Mariah’s family to share ideas and communicate her progress.

Around the same time Mariah joined the Program, Mariah’s mother, Sarah, struggled to provide basic necessities for her family. She was quickly connected with other East End House services including the Emergency Food Pantry, Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway and Adopt-A-Family Program. These resources were extremely beneficial for Sarah, as she was able to worry less about meeting basic needs for her family and focus more of her attention on Mariah’s social-emotional development and success. Through ongoing collaboration between School Age Program staff and Sarah, Mariah has since established strong relationships with staff and peers, became increasingly comfortable in the program, and experiences extraordinary personal growth. More recently, she even received the programs “Star of the Week” award, which helped her build additional self-confidence.