Mindy was 3 years old when she arrived at the A.B. and Jessie Polinsky Children’s Center (PCC) after being removed from her biological parents due to neglect and domestic violence she witnessed between her parents. She was born prematurely and had unaddressed medical, developmental, and behavioral health challenges.

At PCC, she was a candidate for KidSTART services and started Speech & Motion Therapy to help understand what challenges were related to the trauma or development, and in some cases, both. When Mindy first started, she had a hard time being separated from her caregiver, was incredibly shy, and did not engage with her peers.

In addition to connecting her to therapy, Mindy’s Care Coordinator advocated for school district services that would help her succeed in the classroom. This was huge because Mindy’s caregiver felt overwhelmed and needed others to lean on to better support Mindy.

As a result, she is making consistent gains and is starting to warm up, share her funny personality, and has even made new friends.

Prior to KidSTART, Mindy was reserved and lacked services that would help her grow happy and healthy. Thanks to bighearted supporters like you, Mindy is being given the best start she can have as she is about to enter kindergarten.