The Need
5Many of ‘our kids’ are well grounded. We see their names in the paper when honor rolls are published. Or as members of sports teams, dance recitals, concerts, participants in academic workshops or conferences. Their parents, many of whom are single, just need the extra dollars that OCF can award to make many of these opportunities available to their children.
Frank McCourt in Teacher Man said, ‘That miserable childhood deprived me of self-esteem, triggered spasms of self pity, paralyzed my emotions, made me cranky, envious and disrespectful of authority, retarded my development…’ OCF does not want this to happen in our communities. Of our most needy children who have been helped by OCF, teachers report greatly improved behavior and involvement in the classroom. The opportunities to join peers at day camp or in other enriching circumstances can prevent the sort of doldrums McCourt refers to.
Childcare, however, is essential. The greatest burden is full time care for preschool children. This is the reason a woman applied to OCF: ‘To help me pay [for childcare] so I can work!’ And another: ‘If it wasn’t for the Children’s Fund…I probably couldn’t afford to work. Thank you for helping me work to pay my bills.’ At $50-$70 a day, the cost of full-time care can take a deep bite out of the income from a low paying job. Consider a family of four living on $350 a week and paying $800 a month for rent. In addition to children being well cared for while their parent(s) work, the activities are important; according to the Christian Science Monitor, studies show that assistance to 3 and 4 year old children ‘helps them graduate or keeps them out of jail.’ This sounds extreme but OCF believes that a good beginning yields benefits to the child, the family, and the community.
Frank McCourt in Teacher Man said, ‘That miserable childhood deprived me of self-esteem, triggered spasms of self pity, paralyzed my emotions, made me cranky, envious and disrespectful of authority, retarded my development…’ OCF does not want this to happen in our communities. Of our most needy children who have been helped by OCF, teachers report greatly improved behavior and involvement in the classroom. The opportunities to join peers at day camp or in other enriching circumstances can prevent the sort of doldrums McCourt refers to.
Childcare, however, is essential. The greatest burden is full time care for preschool children. This is the reason a woman applied to OCF: ‘To help me pay [for childcare] so I can work!’ And another: ‘If it wasn’t for the Children’s Fund…I probably couldn’t afford to work. Thank you for helping me work to pay my bills.’ At $50-$70 a day, the cost of full-time care can take a deep bite out of the income from a low paying job. Consider a family of four living on $350 a week and paying $800 a month for rent. In addition to children being well cared for while their parent(s) work, the activities are important; according to the Christian Science Monitor, studies show that assistance to 3 and 4 year old children ‘helps them graduate or keeps them out of jail.’ This sounds extreme but OCF believes that a good beginning yields benefits to the child, the family, and the community.