Mission Moments

Handprints of God

“As you walk through The Foundry, you might see handprints of the children and teachers on the walls, but the greatest handprints are those that are hidden – those of God because His hand is so evident upon this place!”
– Will, After School Teacher

 

Read our stories of God’s work at The Foundry:

Aaron’s Story

I had to chuckle when I received Aaron’s Brigance (Kindergarten Readiness Exit Scores). His teachers’ comments were glowing – giving such remarks as “outstanding student”. His Brigance score was 92/100 which was one of the highest in the class. My mind quickly drifted back to the opening of school last fall.

Aaron came to Mrs. Melanie’s class – but he didn’t want to be there. He had to be pulled from the arms of his mother and given over to someone he was supposed to love and trust immediately. He, like a lot of kids, threw a screaming fit but the difference for him was that he never stopped crying. The staff at our school tried numerous things but nothing worked. Aaron would not stop crying and he cried for nine weeks without ceasing. In addition to this crying, Aaron was more anxious when he didn’t have a piece of dirty foam that he brought from home that he held and rubbed while he cried.

We were at our breaking point …. imagine nine weeks of continuous crying without ceasing. Finally, our director called in the preschool experts who were well versed in developmental milestones. She explained to the school psychologist, the public preschool director and the speech pathologist that he would not communicate, eat, play or nap – that he just cried. They determined that he would need an evaluation for special services.

 

Meanwhile the crying stopped – and we started seeing his beautiful smile!

 

 

Slowly, but surely, through continuing efforts and love and prayer, Aaron began to become invested in the class. He started recalling and naming all his letters and numbers along with learning shapes and solving puzzles. One day, right out of the blue, the dirty piece of foam disappeared and it was replaced with hugs for his teachers.

Eventually the evaluation for special services was completed and he qualified for public preschool at age 3. Aaron was able to attend public preschool for half the day and then attend The Foundry for the other half of the day. He loved it and it became the best of both worlds for him.

Through all of this, Aaron’s mom began to share with us that she had dropped out of school and didn’t drive. That is why she walked him to The Foundry every day.  She was also consumed with anxiety and guilt from the embarrassment when her past came to light. Sometimes, as parents, we find the hardest tasks are the ones we know must be done. She wanted the very best for her son…. but how to get that for him was beyond her.

The Foundry has helped her overcome her fears and learn to become a proactive mom. She has learned how to speak on her son’s behalf, especially when it comes to school.  Aaron’s Mom said, “When The Foundry staff accompanies me to school meetings, I know that things will come out well.”

This is a beautiful example of an intervention success story. Without The Foundry preschool, Aaron would have started kindergarten from an extreme disadvantage point. More importantly, he would probably have never caught up. What a difference God can make in the life of a child and his family through the ministry of The Foundry!

Help More Stories Like These Happen

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Learn about The Foundry’s education process and how parental involvement is critical to the success of the child and the strategy of life-long change.