Kids Co. Eased a Challenging Transition

It was my second year working at Kids Co. at South Shore and also a time of personal upheaval and pain. My marriage of nine years ended and I was suddenly a single dad of two. Working as an after-school childcare director meant I REALLY needed childcare–the exact service I provide for dozens of families in Southeast Seattle! It also meant I couldn’t afford it. Two children (one in pre-school and one in after school) would have cost around $1,200 a month, or roughly half my salary. Even sharing the cost with my ex was more than we could afford.

I spoke with the City of Seattle childcare subsidy caseworker and discovered that I qualified for the city subsidy! The bad news was there was (and still is!) a year long waiting list. I turned to my cohorts and mentors at Kids Co. for guidance and found out, due to my financial circumstance, my family was eligible for the Special Case Subsidy Plan until my number came up with the City. This meant my youngest got to be in a high-quality preschool program at Kids Co. at Graham Hill and the other could catch the school bus to my site at South Shore every day after school.

I cannot begin to describe the positive impact having my boys at Kids Co. has had in our lives. While they were there they were able to learn powerful social skills, take field trips all over the city, make friends, and discover new activities and passions. Ezra discovered Tae Kwon Do in one of our summer camps (he’s now a green belt!) and Maceo learned to overcome his fear of bike riding and learned to ride a two wheeler just last summer!

Thank you for making stories like this possible!

John