Meet Isaac: A Kindergartener who has hope because of you
Meet Isaac. When he started kindergarten last fall, he was struggling to keep up and fit in. His parents knew something was wrong, but with trying to keep up with rent, bills, and their other children, they were losing hope.
“Isaac is a Kindergartner as Osgood Elementary School in West Fargo. He had never been around other kids, so Kindergarten was a big transition for him. He had a hard time with having expectations of what we do in school. So he would have big emotions, big behaviors that were causing him to be unsafe.”
—Katelyn, Isaac’s School Case Manager at Osgood Elementary School
After Isaac started school, he was struggling to keep up and fit in. He didn’t know how to share his feeling or communicate and would often lash out in tantrums get removed from his classroom. His parents knew something was wrong, but with trying to keep up with rent, bills, and their other children, they were losing hope. Thankfully, Isaac was able to connect with Katelyn, a School Case Manager made possible by people like you who give to United Way. Katelyn was able to connect the family to the right specialists and therapists, and Isaac was diagnosed with Autism.
“As a School Case Manager, I was able to begin working with his family to get a better idea of what his and his family’s needs were. I was able to connect them to make sure they had enough food to eat at home, help them apply for daycare assistance, and identify Isaac’s strengths as well as what is going to be difficult for Isaac and then connect them to the supports and services available to work on those difficulties,” shared Katelyn.
Now, instead of being hungry, lonely, and overwhelmed, Isaac is making friends and learning about his favorite things – animals. Katelyn has changed his life. Isaac has started to talk, make friends, and even smile. This life-changing help is made possible when people like you give to United Way.
We believe kids like Isaac deserve opportunities to reach their full potential. Poverty is probably more common than you imagine.
In fact, right here in our community, 1 in 7 children live in poverty. If an average classroom has approximately 20-30 kids, that’s 3-4 kids per classroom who may be struggling with basic needs like food, a safe place to live, and support at home.
By investing and working together to improve the lives and futures of local kids – we all succeed.
Here more stories like Isaac’s.
Learn more about our Bold Goal to Prepare Children to Succeed.
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