Miriam

Miriam is a four year old legal Aftican immigrant living in West Des Moines. She is an English language learner who started the school year participaing in the statewide voluntary preschool program. Because her mother works long hours at a meat packing plant in Perry, her grandmother was driving her to a child care program in the inner-city of Des Moines. Miriam needs full day child care and the only program that would accept the reimbursement rate provided by the DHS Child Care Assistance is a childcare program 15 miles from the child’s home. The ECI contact from the West Des Moines school district was able to identify this child and locate a preschool program in West Des Moines taht was willing to serve this child in a full time capacity.  ECI used tuition support funds to pay the program the “market rate” and this child is being served in a quality program that provides continuity in an environment close to her home.