November 14, 2023 Thank you Caregivers Together we have a lot to be proud of! “What about their parents?” It’s a question we get often, given our work with kids who have seen a whole lot of life before kindergarten. There are unspoken assumptions baked into the question: who they are, what they’ve done. They might even be fair questions to ask. But the truth is simple: we absolutely could not do the work we do without our caregivers. Friends of the Children is not a mandated program. No judge, principal, or caseworker will ever be able to require our involvement in a child’s life. We always need the primary caregiver’s permission to enroll a child in our program. Earning their trust is just as critical as earning their child’s trust. And if we do our jobs right, that trust lasts 12+ years and becomes the foundation of our long-term outcomes. One of our caregivers recently said this: “Friends of the Children has been an incredible blessing in my son's life, really in our entire Family’s. His increased self-esteem and new "can-do attitude" have made a huge difference in everyday tasks. The help FOTC has provided in regard to my son’s learning challenges is another huge blessing that brings me to tears. Thank you FOTC, for all your support and caring.” This success isn’t ours alone. This child worked incredibly hard to overcome substantial learning deficits. But an equal partner in this success is the caregiver. They welcomed us into their child’s life, trusted us to guide them through the obstacles of a learning disability, and reinforced each lesson in between our visits with this youth. To all our caregivers: thank you for your trust and partnership. All our kids are champions, and together we have a lot to be proud of!