Unstoppable Families

When I escaped my violent marriage, I left with no money and no family help. I was alone in St. Louis with no idea on how I was going to survive on my own. I had two small children under 5 and no idea how to begin again after being a stay-at-home mom for years and being out of the work force. I found a day job at a grocery store but couldn't afford daycare, and did not know where to look for affordable alternatives. My online searches did not provide a good resource of where to look, and I had to utilize a team of private babysitters that took an intense amount of coordination to have my kids supervised during my fluctuating work hours. It was exhausting and I couldn't make ends meet. I was living off of $5/day for all my expenses and feeding my kids from donations from the food bank or food stamps, unable to afford the food I stocked on the shelves at my day job.

After a few months, I luckily was recommended by a colleague to check into Southside Early Childhood Center, which I did because it was within walking distance of my apartment. The staff at Southside was so welcoming and instantly became my support team, assembling resources and helping me apply for Headstart and government subsidy child care services so that I could afford the high level of care at Southside that I did not think was within my grasp. Once that was all complete, I could finally relax about one aspect of my life: I knew where my kids were going to be each day from 8 am to 6 pm while I was at work, and I could afford it. It was also a load off my mind that they were in an emotionally safe and nurturing space, with the kind and respectful care of the Southside teachers and staff, which is a huge relief when your family is escaping violence and turmoil at home. 

I was offered so many additional programs and resources during our few years at Southside to help me get back on my feet. The most helpful program was the free individual credit counselling program, which taught me so much about building credit. All I had ever been taught previously about credit was to pay things on time, but there was so much more I didn't understand. With the help of that program, I was able to battle the financial attacks I was under during my divorce and ultimately buy a house not long after we left Southside, which I never would have expected. The Southside staff were my go-to support team for anything I needed, providing free diapers when I couldn't afford them, warm coats in the winter, and even bags of presents for each child at Christmas. After barely being able to afford food and diapers for my kids for months, I was so touched to receive wrapped presents, personalized for my children, to bring them a bit of joy during the holidays. 

Ultimately the most important thing was that every day when dropping off or picking up my kids at preschool, I was treated with respect even though I was struggling, poor, and an emotional wreck with the trauma I was enduring. Every day the Southside staff looked me in the eye and greeted me like a peer and with compassion, and I truly appreciate that. It's easy to feel overwhelmed in this world when you don't have the support you need to survive, to feed your kids, or to be safe. Southside helped me in all of those areas, and now I can proudly say my kids are in elementary school with the skills they need to succeed, and I have a better job and own a house, something that I never expected to be able to do just a few years ago. And the most precious gift from the staff at Southside was the support and confidence during those difficult years. Thank you for your dedication to helping support families in St. Louis. We appreciate you.

Birdie W.
Former SouthSide Parent