Marie Mitchell is a single mom who was doing her best to raise four children after escaping a domestic violence situation. But she found herself struggling to earn enough money to support her kids. Thankfully, her situation came to the attention of a Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) caseworker, and we encouraged her to enroll her prekindergarten kids in our Head Start early education program.
Head Start is a national school readiness program that provides comprehensive education, health care, and nutritious meals; and it encourages parental involvement—all to equip and empower kids and their families for a better future. Marie is so grateful for the hands of hope that friends like you have provided through our Head Start program. She says:
It allowed me to work more hours while my children had free, quality early educational services that were a tremendous benefit to our family. I saw a transformation in my children, [their] social skills, and readiness for school. The Head Start teachers really focused on [my children’s] social and emotional well-being… My twins had a learning disability, [so] they received preventative educational services to help increase their school readiness. Now my daughters are in kindergarten—and they’re able to read and write sentences, thanks to Head Start.
Our caseworkers also encouraged Marie to complete her college education, and now she says, “
I definitely am a better parent because of Head Start!”
Kids from struggling families like Marie’s can often be malnourished. So with your help, LSF provides 4 million nutritious meals per year to kids in our Head Start learning centers. LSF also manages a Child Care Food Program to ensure that 8,508children in 460 family daycare homes across Florida receive the good nutrition they need.
These are just some of the many ways that your support brings God’s healing, hope, and help to people in need through Lutheran Services Florida. So far, friends like you have provided a hand of hope through LSF to more than 1 million people!
