Mothers

At Dove, we strongly believe in 'giving a hand up, rather than a hand out' and we try to think of this in everything we do. When we were doing applications for children in June, prior to entering the new building and starting the Club, we knew we wanted the kids and their families to feel at home in the Club, and to feel as if it was something that they had worked hard for. In mid-June, as we started classes with the kids, we had a big meeting with all the children and their families and we explained this to the mothers. In order for their kids to attend and for them to receive grocery vouchers every month, they would need to help out as well. We wanted all of the family members to have a role in the Center- not just the kids. Since then, the Mothers have taken it upon themselves to be in charge of the cleaning of the Center. Every Tuesday at 1:30, Thursday at 1:30, and Saturday at 4:30 (a half hour before the kids leave) we have Mothers show up to tidy up for 30 minutes. They sweep, mop, tidy up, and sometimes help with the children and the Center itself (organizing, doing hair, etc.) We think this has been a really great way to get the Mothers involved, and we really enjoy spending that time with them. To the left, you can see Carolina and her mother, Dinora, as she was in the Center helping to clean. Below, you can see a cleaning schedule that the Mothers came up with on their own.