The Open Arms Child Support Center works to alleviate some of the causes and consequences of homelessness for families. National studies have shown that the causes can be numerous and complex. Interventions taken by Pilgrims' Inn are individualized and focused on three main areas:
- Access to affordable child care. Often, child care creates multiple barriers to mothers seeking employment. We provide first-shift childcare (from 7:30am to 4:00pm) for preschool aged children at an affordable rate. Parents are required to be employed and/or enrolled in school.
- Preserving and improving the safety, education, and well-being of children. Our program begins working with children at six weeks old. All of our teachers are trained in Early Childhood Development and focus on activities to build motor, cognitive, and educational skills.
- Resource and service coordination. Many families who have children in our Open Arms program also receive services through one of our other programs or services, such as emergency assistance, shelter, job training, or case management. Pilgrims’ Inn also coordinates with a wide array of community providers to ensure all of a clients’ needs are met.
The goals and objectives are as follows:
- 100% of children with identified behavioral, emotional, developmental, or medical problems will be referred to appropriate community resources for treatment.
- 95% of graduating four-year-olds will achieve all necessary benchmarks for Kindergarten entry.
- 25% of families will report an increase and/or more effective use of income
