Success Stories

Mickey, now 9 years old, is pictured above with his mother Senait.

Mickey and his mother began the ParentChild+ in 2006 when he was just 2 years old. His mother was concerned that he would struggle to learn English when he started school because it was not the family’s native language. But her concerns disappeared when they began their home visits with Stacey, and she saw that he would be able to learn English and retain his native language, Amharic.

Stacey vividly recalls how unique Mickey was – he loved Bob Marley as a 2-year old! Additionally, she recalls how much he loved reading. Mickey always chose the books over the toys that she would bring. He looked forward to Stacey’s visits and would ask his mother all the time when she was coming. As Mickey continued in the Program, Stacey noticed his attention span getting longer, and his love of reading growing.

Mickey is now a fourth grader at a Spanish immersion school. He speaks three languages, English, Spanish, and Amharic, and is excelling in all of his studies! According to Stacey, “Mickey’s parents became his first teachers right away.” Because of ParentChild+, his mother was not only inspired to read more to Mickey and his younger sister, but also to obtain a certified nursing assistant license and she is now employed. Recently Stacey visited Mickey, over six years after he graduated from the Program, and he still has the picture of the two of them from his graduation by his bed.