- March 29, 2024
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Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story misspelled Tyrese Forbes' name.
Tyrese Forbes was 2 years old when he started at the Winter Park Day Nursery, and he’s one student the teachers there will never forget. His heart was warm and full of love, but sometimes that just couldn’t overpower his anger.
His grandmother, who was taking care of him, didn’t know what to do. But Ali DeMaria, his teacher then and now executive director of the Nursery, knew all he needed was to feel safe and loved.
“We just kept showing him that we cared,” she said.
Soon, Tyrese was doing better. They confidently sent him off to elementary school, and after a little bump in the road with his first teacher and a switch to the right school for him, the little boy has seen more success than they could have ever imagined on that first tough day. Now he’s in the first grade and loving it.
“He flourished,” DeMaria said. “I have his report card hanging in my office.”
And that’s what the Winter Park Day Nursery is all about. The non-profit child care center and preschool in Winter Park was started as a place to offer quality, affordable care for low-income working families. Its childcare fees are based on a sliding scale depending on the parents’ income. DeMaria said 89 percent of her children come from low-income households, and the majority of families pay the lowest price of $67 per week, but that it costs the center $200 to care for and educate each child.
The Nursery will hold its Orange Blossom Jubilee on April 27 to help bridge that gap between what their parents can afford, and the cost of the quality education the Nursery provides. The funds they raise at this annual event will provide for operational costs — anything from keeping the lights on and renovating the old bathrooms, to purchasing the supplies for their monthly birthday parties.
“I think it’s really important to give everybody a good foundation regardless of income level to build a strong community and to build productive citizens for the rest of their lives,” said Skye Guthrie, who is on the board of directors and co-chair of the event. “And the people here do a great job at that because they really care about it, it’s not just about child care, it’s about education and support and families.”
Heather Cortese, whose son has had trouble with other schools in the past, said instead of tears each day when he comes home, he’s happy. It’s a relief for her to bring her son to a place where he feels safe and she has help.
“There were times when I had to try to figure out, am I going to put food on my table or keep the electric on,” she said. “And it was very helpful to me to be able to come here and take food from the food pantry during that period of time, because it was really tough.”
Winter Park resident and parent Gayla Faulkner agreed. She was paying full price for child care in the past and was barely surviving.
“It’s been a lifesaver … [the cost of child care] was killing me,” she said. “I was literally living paycheck to paycheck.”
That can lead to stress, but at the Nursery, teachers are there to give parents guidance and support, too. When the parents come in, many of whom are raising their children alone, they get a friendly welcome, an offer of a cup of coffee, and another adult actually asking them how they are.
“It’s probably the only place where the family is as important as the child,” said Heather Caldwell, office administrator and volunteer coordinator for the school.
“They’re concerned for you and for your child,” Faulkner said. “It’s just so family oriented — you just feel like you get a big hug when you walk in the door.”
And that’s not only great for the tired moms lacking appreciation in their everyday lives — some walk all the way from the other side of Winter Park to get their kids there each morning — but for their children, too.
“We want to make sure their family is included because that really affects how successful the child is going to be, to see what kind of family support that they have,” DeMaria said. “It sets the stage for their education. If they’re shown what a quality education looks like and they’re supported in helping their children be what their children can be, then they’re more likely to be successful in the future.”
When they do get back on their feet, these families give right back to their school and community. Cortese has donated an auction item for the Jubilee, and the grandmother whose grandson is thriving in first grade has taken in another family that was in need of a home. She still visits the school to show her appreciation and to tell them how she learned to be a better caregiver from their guidance.
“They realize the importance of giving,” Caldwell said.
Event
The Winter Park Day Nursery’s 11th Annual Orange Blossom Jubilee will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Winter Park Community Center on Friday, April 27. The Nursery is still looking for corporate sponsorships and auction item donations, and individual tickets are available and cost $75 each. Call the Nursery at 407-647-0505 or email [email protected] for more information.