WHY IT MATTERS
90% of brain development occurs in the first five years of life.
The early years of life have a profound impact on a child’s future. When loved, nourished and cared for in safe and stimulating environments, children develop the skills they need to embrace opportunity and bounce back from adversity.
87 % of kids in
Early Head Start
Met age appropriate threshold for school readiness
99 % of kids in
Early Intervention
Improved overall social/emotional and knowledge/skills function by exit
100% of kids in
Parents As Teachers
Completed health, hearing and vision screenings within 90 days of enrollment
65 % of kids in the
Caterpillar Clubhouse
Received hearing, vision, and/or developmental referrals after health fair
See how Julieta’s life has changed with Root for Kids
Julieta had many medical conditions since she was born. She would choke every time she ate or drank something, her oxygen was always very low and she didn’t have strength to do any physical activity. She didn’t even crawl. She would be in the ER every single day, so one day a doctor at the ER gave me some information about Root for Kids. I think he made a referral because within the next couple of days someone from Root for Kids contacted me and gave me more information about the programs available.
Julieta started at Root for Kids when she was about 15 months old. She qualified for the Early Intervention program based on her health conditions, and Carolynne was assigned to be our Family Support Specialist (FSS). We started to talk about Julieta’s medical history, what was going on with her and why she wasn’t getting the help she needed. Carolynne convinced me to get a second opinion with another doctor so we did. Her new doctor, Dr. Merkley, was surprised at how bad her situation was and from the doctor’s office we went straight to the hospital and then flew to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.
She was in PICU for a little more than two weeks. She was diagnosed with a chronic lung disease – because she didn’t develop all her muscles, her lungs collapsed and she was aspirating all she ate. They put her on oxygen 24/7 and had to thicken all of her food and liquids, and gave her several medications a day.
I’m glad Carolynne came into our home and life. I don’t know if my daughter would be with us today if she hadn’t.She helped me with many resources and now my daughter has all she needs to be healthy and happy. I never knew there were so many resources out there and that you could be an advocate for your kid. We are the parents and we know if something is wrong with them.
Today my daughter is a happy girl, she met all the goals we established when we started at Root for Kids. She can eat solids thanks to having feeding therapy from Root for Kids and the hospital, she also had physical therapy sessions while in the program and she doesn’t have to be carrying an oxygen tank anymore. The music and play studio classes also made a huge difference for us, as we were able to meet other parents and kids going through similar situations. Carolynne gave me strength and supported me throughout this hard journey. I am so grateful for her and all that Root for Kids does.
– Natalia Herrera, Julieta’s mom