Inevitably, the precious faces and souls we love leave our arms and head to Kindergarten and beyond. We were delighted to hear from a mother from one of our past children, Danny Harp, and asked her what she remembers and appreciated about King’s Daughters. Here’s what Amy told us, edited slightly for length and clarity. We’re thrilled to hear her perspective and the impact she believes King’s Daughters had on Danny’s life.

IMG_3436From Amy: My son, Danny Harp, went to King’s Daughters around 2000. He started shortly after he turned 2 and stayed there until he went to Kindergarten.

I was kind of leery at first about sending him. He didn’t need to go. I worked the day shift during the week days and his dad worked weekends, so his dad was able to be home with him. But his cousins had been there about four years before Danny started and they loved it. And, I thought, he’s an only child and he needs other children around him. He needs that kind of environment we can’t give him.

IMG_3435Me and his dad were both high school drop outs – but his dad got his GED in ’98 and I got mine in 2010. But we weren’t able to give him all the stuff he needed to know. We needed help and we felt like he needed to be with other children. We started him at a different childcare provider but were not happy with his care. It was just like they were babysitting him and we were paying a lot for it.

With King’s Daughters, they go by income, so for us, that was $60/week. So we said, let’s just see.

IMG_3434It was the best decision. He was so above where he needed to be in Kindergarten and we owe it all to King’s Daughters. I mean, we did our part, but it was incredible. His teachers, in every class as he moved up in age, were amazing. He I’m still friends with one of his teachers on facebook.

I would volunteer in the classroom sometimes and what we saw when we were there was exactly the same when we left. Their programs were amazing – Easter, Christmas – I remember Lowe’s bringing the kids $5 gift cards. It meant so much, those little things that were over and above what we expected.

IMG_3432Danny learned so much there. Sharing toys with other children, just so much. He took it all in. He ended up being so beyond prepared for Kindergarten, but he wasn’t that way when he first got there. He did not want to be there, but they worked with him. I remember him taking a picture of me and his daddy to put on his cubby to help while we were gone.

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Interacting with the high school students from Good Pasture – one of Danny’s favorite memories!

 

I remember some highschool students from Good Pasture came to the pre-K class he was in to play with the kids and Danny really like the older students. They were so good with kids, especially the way they interacted with them. One time they made t-shirts with painted handprints and then went for a field trip to somewhere like the community center – they were doing stuff all the time like, providing great experiences for the kids. Danny says one thing remembers as his favorite times is going to the Old Hickory branch library and having puppet time.

Danny is in his first year of college now – he’s studying Public Relations and Strategic  Communications but might switch to Urban Development.  He’s always been above, he never went back – and I think it all started right there at King’s Daughters.

from diapers


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