Arbor Circle’s KEEP Making a Difference

(December 2020)-Simon*, a four-year-old, has seen things we hope children never have to. He has a history of trauma due to witnessing domestic violence by his father against his mother, Angelina. Because of his experiences, Simon struggled to contain his aggression while attending child care.

Arbor Circle’s Keep Early Education Positive (KEEP) program offers comprehensive support and consultation to child care providers, teachers, and parents when a child ages 0-5 is facing any kind of difficulty in child care or preschool. KEEP provides intervention and support so that children have a more successful experience in early education settings.

Prior to KEEP services, Angelina reported Simon’s child care was not equipped to handle his aggression. She stated that he would “have frequent daily tantrums where he was throwing tables and chairs, screaming, and could not be calmed down for about an hour or more.”

With the help of a KEEP mental health consultant, Angelina says that recently, “he got angry, but didn't throw anything. He told his teacher he was mad and she asked him to sit in the calm down chair, and he went and calmed himself down.”

Angelina is very happy with the team at KEEP and proud of the progress that Simon has made.

Arbor Circle’s KEEP program was made possible because of the generosity of Kent County taxpayers and the voter-approved Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage. If you’d like to learn more about KEEP, visit arborcircle.org/services/early-childhood.

* Names have been changed for privacy