Family fights to overcome town’s many obstacles

Union, South Carolina is a town with a staggeringly high unemployment rate, high teen pregnancy rate and more and more children under age six living in poverty. Candace, a single mother, and her three young children, Patience, Neveah and Ethan, are enrolled in Save the Children’s Early Steps to School Success program and are visited four times a month by an early children development coordinator. During these visits, the coordinator reads books and suggests developmentally appropriate activities and toys for Candace and her children to explore together. Playing pretend is one of their favorite things. “We might take the stuffed animals and pretend we are at the zoo,” Candace shares. “It’s when they play that they learn the best.”

Of her three children, Neveah appears to be the most extroverted and at ease, for which her mother credits Save the Children. “Starting really early with the program and the frequent home visits have helped Neveah with her social skills.”

Thanks to your support, MSAF, Denise, Tony and Steven, Candace has created a positive learning environment at home for her three children.