Client Successes
Lynn and Robyn’s Story
Two 16 month-old twin girls, Lynn and Robyn were enrolled in Morningsong when their family moved to Seattle from the Spokane area. The girls stayed for only 54 days, but during that time the staff was very engaged with the family.
Staff and the Nurse worked vigorously with the parents to combat a variety of problems, particularly in efforts to maintain the health of the girls. Both girls had head lice and routinely came to the center dirty and smelling of cigarette smoke. Both also had colds the entire time that they were at Morningsong. The girls came to the center hungry every day. In addition to making sure each day that the girls had the proper amount of food, the teachers washed the girls clothing every day and provided them with a lot of new clothing.
The Family Support coordinator talked with the parents about the dangers of second-hand smoke. Although the Nurse had not been able to perform developmental assessments on the girls because they were so uncooperative, the Nurse worked with the parents to address other health concerns, such as the girls’ colds and ear infections, as well as a problem with Lynn’s left eye.
The parents had consistent difficulty with bringing and picking up the girls on time. After the family left Seattle Emergency Housing Shelter (SEHS) and moved to another shelter in the north-end of Seattle, the transportation challenges became more of a problem. The staff collaborated with the shelter case manager to make it possible for the parents to receive bus tickets. Up until the time the girls transitioned to another child care program, the parents brought them to Morningsong by bus.
Because the family had an open Child Protective Services (CPS) case, the parents were mandated to have the girls in a child care program on a daily basis. The Family Support Coordinator maintained contact with the CPS worker in respect to the girls’ attendance and information about the girls’ health. Although the parents were attending a drug treatment program that included random urine testing, they were not taking care of the problems at home and had not followed through with obtaining medication for the girls.
Despite the unsuccessful efforts of the parents, Morningsong staff feels that this is a success story for the girls. Staff maintained daily and weekly contact with the family’s shelter case managers at SEHS and subsequent shelters. The Family Support Coordinator kept case managers informed about the girls’ on-going health and attendance issues.
At last contact, the girls had a CASA Advocate who advocated solely on their behalf and who often telephoned and visited them at Morningsong. Our staff strongly encouraged the CASA Advocate to pursue enrollment at Child Haven, a child care program with intensive therapeutic services, where fortunately they were enrolled.