Miriam's Story: Giraffe Laugh Parent

MIRIAM’S STORY

Miriam moved to Boise from Mexico when she was eight years old. She is the mother of four beautiful daughters, all of whom she had at a young age and close together. Miriam and her husband have always valued education. They wanted their children to get the education they didn’t get to have, never having graduated from high school themselves. They knew that preschools existed but thought they were just for playing. She and her husband didn’t know that preschools used curriculum to help children reach kindergarten requirements.

Miriam’s mother was a strong supporter of preschool, and she urged her to enroll her oldest child in a preschool program. Miriam knew that she madethe right decision by enrolling her eldest when her daughter knew letters, shapes, colors and numbers. When Miriam had her second and third daughters, she decided it was time for her to stop working to begin the hardest job of all - stay-at-home parent! Although the girls were all happy at home with their mother, Miriam could tell they were beginning to fall behind in school. They were lacking social skills, self-esteem and the basics of kindergarten, like sharing and conflict resolution.

Soon after, Miriam had her fourth daughter, Jazmahni. Miriam saw the difference between what preschool did for her eldest daughter and how her middle children’s learning was impacted by not attending preschool. She knew what she needed to do for Jazmahni!

Miriam reached out to Giraffe Laugh Garden City Preschool and asked if they had space for Jazmahni. She was worried because after being home to raise her daughters for eight years, the family budget on a single income was tight. She was relieved to find out that there were scholarships available for families like hers. If they hadn’t received the scholarship, they wouldn’t have been able to send Jazmahni to preschool.

When Jazmahni started preschool, she was shy and reserved. Even at home, she wouldn’t allow her extended family members to hold her and barely wanted to talk to them. Her grandmother’s first language is Spanish, and Jazmahni often refused to speak to her on the phone because she was worried about not understanding her. Having only interacted with her sisters at home, Jazmahni had the challengeof acclimating to a class of 16 strangers at preschool ahead of her. She wasn’t able to spell her name or count past three.

Over a year later, Jazmahni is thriving in school. She excels at connecting with her peers, loves to make friends, is an active participant in class and is always engaged in classroom activities. Her family marvelsat how smart she is. Jazmahni often asks to call her grandma to tell her what she is learning in school. One of the most exciting things to Miriam is that Jazmahni is already thinking about the future. She pretends to be a teacher at home, and while her mom is cooking, she will say, “if you raise your hand I will get you the tomato.”

Not only have Miriam and her husband loved seeing Jazmahni grow and learn every day as a result of attending Giraffe Laugh, they have also been helpedby Giraffe Laugh in many other ways. They utilize the classroom food pantry frequently and have received grocery gift cards to assist in getting essential items. Their family was also adopted for Christmas by a Giraffe Laugh supporter, receiving presents for all four children along with some for the parents. Miriam was so relieved to be able to access these services.

While their family’s priority was ensuring that Jazmahni had a strong start to her education, Miriam was happy to be able to re-enter the workforce. This program has allowed her family to get on their feet and look forward to the future.

Drawing by 5-year-old Jazmahni, a student at Giraffe Laugh Preschool in Garden City.