Cristy and James first heard about Every Child Succeeds (ECS) at the doctors office when Cristy found out that she was pregnant. Cristy was aware of Brighton Center but was not familiar with ECS. When she was contacted by ECS staff, she decided to give the program a try.
Cristy explained, “I didn’t know anything about being a parent and it was scary.” Cristy felt that there were so many aspects to raising a child from basic infant care to developmental milestones and setting limits for an active toddler – that the more information she had, the better prepared she would be to parent.
Before ECS, Cristy said she was unsure of what to expect from day to day interactions with a newborn child. The information she received and the activities that she participated in during visits, helped her learn basic care skills and how to bond with her newborn baby boy Robbie. She valued the information because “it helped me know what was normal and what was not.” James, who participated in almost every one of the 182 visits, said that “It was helpful to learn ways to calm a newborn.”
Cristy and James both felt that ECS was helpful at each stage of Robbie’s development. For Cristy, learning about development and having support from her visitor, helped her feel more calm as a parent and less worried. ECS impacted James by helping him “learn patience to deal with issues of raising a child from infant to toddler.”
During the time Cristy and James participated in ECS, they were also able to utilize services through Workforce Development and the Family Center.
James and Cristy both value being able to give back to Brighton Center. They often purchase clothing and toys for Robbie from the Clothing Closet and then donate them back when Robbie has outgrown them.
Although they loved the learning experiences, activities, and the information about child development, Cristy and James both said the best memories were made doing fun things as a family. They have attended ECS groups at Benton Farm, The Cincinnati Zoo, The Behringer Crawford Museum, and Totter’s Otterville.
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