CUPS Client Success Story: Meet Dalila
How COVID Brought a CUPS Mom Closer to her Kids
In a recent blog post, we shared how our Child Development Centre (CDC) educators were challenged to think outside the box during COVID. Unable to have students physically present for their lessons, they took to the screen and connected with students online with live lessons.
With her two daughters at the CDC, CUPS mom Dalila wondered how the new set-up would affect their learning and life at home. And much to her surprise, she and her two daughters were more engaged in their lessons than ever — and they were more connected as a family, too.
Meet Dalila
Upon arrival in Calgary from Brazil, Dalila and her young family searched for social support to help them get settled in their new city. She found the CUPS Child Development Centre was the perfect venue to support her young daughters’ transitions. Using brain science principles that support building resilience for life, the CDC offers full-day preschool and kindergarten classes for children ages 3 to 6 who come from low-income families — perfect for Dalila’s two daughters. She enrolled Amy Lauren into the Kindergarten class while younger sister Lana Louisa in the 3-year old program.
It didn’t take long for the two sisters to fall in love with their educators, classmates and the program. Every day was an exciting adventure with lots of fun and learning to be had. They were always excited when the school bus rolled around the corner to pick them up. When the school was closed due to COVID, they weren’t sure what the rest of their school year would look like, but they were eager and ready to participate once the program moved online.
E-Connecting through COVID
“Much to my surprise, the program and structure only changed a little bit,” explains Dalila. “We had to learn how to log onto the blog and use Zoom, but it became easy.”
Amy and Lana were even more excited to participate online than in the classroom and actively engaged in each session, right alongside Delila. They shared in the laughs, lessons and homework of each activity. They had fun as a family and connected in a way they never had before. What’s more? Dalila learned a few things, too.
“In Brazil, I was an educator by profession, but I realized I had so much to learn,” she reflects. “Through the classes at CUPS, both my parenting and teaching skills improved.”
Though COVID has been stressful on her family, Dalila found that logging into the classes and participating in that community provided a much-needed distraction to do something constructive and grow. All around, for her family, it was an experience they'll never forget and connections that will last a lifetime. It was so impactful, that Delila’s daughter Amy Lauren cried when she learned she would be heading into grade 1 and not returning to CUPS!
Now, as the semester winds down, the family is looking forward to taking a break from schoolwork with a little staycation to take a break from the regular routine, invigorated by the exciting end to their school year.
Interested in getting involved at CUPS? Click here.