We love the families and children we get to serve every week. Here’s a little bit about their experience with Root for Kids, formerly known as The Learning Center for Families. Do you have a story with Root for Kids that you’d like to share with us? Tell us here!
PAYTEN
My family became involved with The Learning Center for Families when my daughter, Payten, was 5 months old. She had recently been diagnosed with a genetic disease that causes tumors to grow all over her body and also causes moderate to severe developmental delays. It was a scary time for us and we didn’t really know what to expect. I was excited to learn about The Learning Center for Families and its services. I wanted so badly to be able to help Payten but I didn’t know how or what could be done. We started meeting with our Learning Consultant, Loralee, and other different therapists from TLC and I felt so empowered. It felt good to finally be proactive, helping Payten make developmental progress, instead of waiting to see how badly she might be affected. It gave us hope!
I loved that they taught me how to teach Payten and that I was able to be involved with her progress every step of the way. We came to love all of the wonderful therapists and learning consultants that have worked with our family. We are so lucky to have this wonderful program here in Southern Utah and I am now a firm believer in the benefits of early intervention. Thanks TLC!
Macey & Madi Sonju
The Learning Center for Families will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Our family is blessed with two amazing girls with Down syndrome and the Learning Center for Families was there from the beginning to provide knowledge, support and friendship to ensure the girls had what they needed to be successful.
As a young mom, the lessons I learned at TLC were priceless! I have fond memories of Anita setting up obstacle courses for the kids (and teachers) to navigate during class and Caroline bouncing my girls on the therapy ball. I will always be thankful for Debbie’s practical advice to “get a notebook and keep the mountain of paperwork all in one place!” These ladies and so many others were more than teachers… they became our friends! They continue to celebrate the successes of the girls today.
Macey has a love for all things theatrical. She performed in every musical put on by her high school and was voted Best Ensemble Cast Member her senior year. All of her allowance money goes to buy show tickets at Tuachan! Madi is a high school cheerleader. She was part of her high school cheer squad when they took the USA National Title in the dance competition. She hopes to continue to dance and be a children’s dance teacher. We are so thankful for The Learning Center for Families! We know without a doubt that the work you do changes lives!
DUSTY
When my son came into our family, I was a first time parent and I didn’t know where a child should be physically, mentally, or emotionally. He only knew about 10 words, but I could tell that he was a fast learner. I spent a few months desperately trying to figure out how to help him, and then I finally received a referral for The Learning Center for Families.
Physically my son was fine, but his speech was really lacking, and I didn’t know how to truly enjoy playtime with my child. My son’s Learning Consultant was so helpful and she provided information that I could read on my own time. She also invited me to join a play group that was held at The Learning Center facility. At play group I learned how to follow my child around and help him explore his environment. I also learned what items were age-appropriate for him to play with. We enjoyed lunch together, and truly bonded.
When my son turned 3, The Learning Center provided the appropriate referral to WCSD Preschool who then continued his services with a speech therapist. My son is now 7 and has progressed to the point that he no longer needs speech therapy. He is completely on track with all of his schooling. Without TLC his delays probably wouldn’t have been fully discovered until kindergarten. If that had happened, I wouldn’t have known how to help him, and he would continue to struggle.
I am so grateful for the services that I received from TLC. I have also let my neighbors know of the great service that TLC provides. It is an excellent resource for our community.
TALEN
We began our experience with TLC when Talen was only 8 months old. At this time, we had done some testing but were still in the middle of trying to diagnose his condition. I was grateful for the opportunity to be involved with individuals that could sit and discuss Talen’s situation with me. Kris, our TLC Learning Consultant, spent many hours visiting with me about how I could best help Talen and provide for his needs. Not only were we given physical therapy and occupational therapy visits in our home, but we met with a group of other families who also had children with special needs. I think this was the most beneficial for us at that time. I never imagined that I would gain lifelong friendships with other moms who were going through what I was going through.
The “play groups” gave us the opportunity to work with our children while we chatted about our lives and individual situations. It was nice to know that I could talk freely with others who personally knew my heartache and trials because they too had dealt with many similar situations. I will forever be grateful for our experience at TLC. The people who work there not only treated us with love and respect, but they treated us like family. I wish there were some way to repay you for all your kindness to me and my sweet Talen.
Thank you TLC and a special thanks to your many wonderful, caring employees – we love you all!
