Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/acelero-learning-exemplifies-the-ideals-of-head-start/5024962/
Candice Mititch felt like she had been swimming against a current and, in spring 2018, the swell was rising faster than she could kick her way through.
Candice’s triplet daughters were 3 years old. Only one had weighed more than 2 pounds at birth, and all three had spent 2-and-a-half months in the hospital. Since then, they had faced different developmental challenges that qualified them for occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy provided by the birth-to-three program. Candice had stayed home to care for them, but she was in the middle of a divorce, and she felt pressure to get back to work. Though her family was supportive, each night brought a tide of toddler activity, and every cry, every soothe, every rock, every diaper change, and every feeding was hers to manage and survive. As if overpowering exhaustion was not enough, finding a quality child care center for three children came with a heavy price tag.
One month earlier, Candice’s sister Tai had begun working at Acelero Learning’s Head Start program. In that month, Tai had seen that the program was ardently committed to serving children with special needs like her nieces—the polar opposite of avoiding or expelling ...