Half of the children at ECS St. Barnabas Mission are age four or younger. For older children, homelessness can mean transferring to a new school and other factors that can interrupt educational progress at a crucial time. That is why ECS St. Barnabas provides both the Butterfly Pre-School and After-School programs.
Mildred arrived at ECS St. Barnabas over a year ago with her son, Jarell. She had lost her job as a cook at a senior center and had nowhere else to go. It wasn't the first time things had gotten so bad. She stayed at the Mission once before, 10 years ago. In the intervening years, she had a son and lost custody of her two daughters. She developed crippling arthritis in her hands and knees, narrowing her future employment opportunities. Her mobile phone was accidentally flushed down the toilet the week she got a call approving her for subsidized housing. She ended up right at the back of the line again.
Relating this litany of misfortune, Mildred looks visibly downcast. Her eyes light up, however, when the conversation turns to her baby boy. At age six, Jarell is an energetic handful.
"On his first day of school, he was so excited he just charged down the hallway," Mildred said. "That's just Jarell being Jarell."
Although Jarell has some behavioral issues, he is also very bright.
"His mind is like a steel trap. He will bring up something about a game and if you listen to him, the point he is making is valid," said Ian Dugan, a teacher in the after-school program at ECS St. Barnabas. "Sometimes, even when he has one of his bad days, the things he gets upset over are when he has made a valid point that hasn't been heard."
When Jarell first came to the Mission, he enrolled in the Butterfly preschool program. There, his behavior threatened to overshadow his potential. Trading a home for a shelter and missing his sisters were a big part of his acting out. As a bright child nearing the upper age limit for preschool, it is also likely that he needed new challenges.
"He did a total turnaround when he started school and joined the after-school program," Mildred said, pointing out two of his math exercises on the wall marked "100%".
Coordinator of Educational Services Dana Barbry-Nuble worked with Mildred to help get Jarell into a local charter school and in helping Mildred foster a relationship with his teacher and school counselor.
"I love Miss Dana. She has helped both of us out a lot. I really appreciate everything she has done and still is doing," Mildred said. "We are keeping an eye on his progress in learning and behavior. A lot of parents are not involved enough in their kids' educations. It's not that they don't care, they just do not know how to ask what is going on at school."
Throughout the cold winter, Mildred walked Jarell to and from school every day. She helps out in the after school program and credits the educational staff at the Mission for helping keep bpth herself and her son both on track with their goals.
"Jarell was wild when he first got here. He was used to a whole different environment. Now he has really changed his behavior. We have a lot of good programs here at the shelter. The kids take trips to different places. They get to explore different things. It opens up their world."