Sheltering Arms empowers families and strengthens communities by providing: 1) Quality, affordable early childhood education & child care; 2)Comprehensive family support; 3) Community outreach and partnerships, and 4) Professional development for early childhood and family support professionals.

Description:
Sheltering Arms is metro Atlanta's oldest and largest nonprofit child development program, and one of its most respected. Founded in Atlanta in 1888, Sheltering Arms now serves more than 3,600 children, ages 6 weeks to 5 years old, and their families, in 16 centers in 7 counties in metro Atlanta. All Sheltering Arms centers meet the accreditation standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Sheltering Arms serves families of diverse socio-economic and ethnic/racial backgrounds, including children whose tuition is fully or partially subsidized through scholarships, Head Start, or DFACS, and those who pay full-tuition. Each year, approximately 80% of families have incomes below $30,000/year, and about 51% of families are headed by a single parent.

Sheltering Arms believes children need strong families and communities supporting them as they grow. To that end, Sheltering Arms provides classes, information and referral, support services, networking, and leadership opportunities to the parents of the children we serve. On average each year, 98% of parents report that their parenting skills improve as a result of their association with Sheltering Arms. In addition, Sheltering Arms has been a partner in the revitalization of several neighborhoods, including the Centennial Olympic Park neighborhood, East Lake, and the Chamblee International Corridor community. Sheltering Arms partners with community resources to comprehensively address the needs of each child and his or her family.

Sheltering Arms' principal goal is to send children to school ready to succeed. About 92% of the four-year-olds attending Sheltering Arms' 16 centers each year meet or exceed kindergarten readiness requirements. The remaining 8% are either new to the program, or are referred for special services to address developmental delays and special needs.

Sheltering Arms believes children learn best through play and that parents are children's most important teachers. Our curriculum is based on the most current research on how young children learn, and revolves around a comprehensive system of parent involvement, developmental and health screenings and assessment, lesson planning, and teacher training. Children are assigned a primary caregiver to meet their emotional needs and learn appropriate behavior through positive reinforcement. Staff-to-child ratios are kept low to assure children receive one-on-one attention. Each Sheltering Arms center is specially designed and equipped to provide a nurturing, playful, accessible environment that appropriately addresses the unique physical and developmental needs of young children.

Sheltering Arms relies on a healthy mix of funding from private philanthropic sources, federal, state and county resources, Head Start, Early Head Start, United Way and full-pay tuition to deliver services.

History:
In 1888, a group of Atlanta women formed a sewing circle at the First United Methodist Church's John Barclay Mission to mend the clothing of street children. While delivering clothes one day, the women discovered a child tied to a bedpost as a safety measure while the mother worked long hours in the cotton mills. Determined to help these children, the women began to care for them at the mission. An old railroad box car served as the first "center." The second consisted of borrowed space in a local bar.

Inspired by the spirit of Roberto Ferruzzi's painting, Madonna of the Street, the women chose the name Sheltering Arms in 1890 for their child care work. Madonna of the Street now hangs in the entryway to our Model Teaching Center in downtown Atlanta. From the beginning, the founders knew the value of supporting the families of the children who came to Sheltering Arms. Each week they held parent meetings. Parents shared experiences and learned from each other. This dedication to supporting both children and their families is the cornerstone of Sheltering Arms' tradition and philosophy.

Contact person: Angel Paschall, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (404) 523-9952

Address:

385 Centennial Olympic Park Drive Atlanta, GA 30313 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.shelteringarmsforkids.com

Directions:

From the north, take I75/85 to downtown to the Williams Street exit. Turn right onto Alexander and then right onto Centennial Olympic Park Drive. Our headquarters is a block up on your right, across from the local police precinct.   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Civic Center,   Walk distance (in minutes): 5

Additional Information

How did you hear about Volunteer Solutions?
	United Way (website, staff, etc.)

Overall Experience   
A Joy.

Although I had volunteered for small amounts of time at Shelter Arms before, this summer my time spent there impacted me more and has been nothing less than a joy in my life. When I first came to volunteer back in June, my mind filled with expectations and hesitancy. However, once I entered inside and was greeted with a beautiful smile from Aurora, my expectations and hesitancy melted away into the hot summer, and starting every day of my volunteering with that familiar, genuine smile never failed to brighten my day. Much to my surprise that smile was not the only thing that cheered up each of my days at Sheltering Arms because following it I was greeted with hugs in Room 1 by Miss. Kimesha and Mrs. Ineta. These outstanding women not only taught me so much about caring for the infants in the room, but they taught me life lessons that I will never forget. Their investment in the children showed even on the days when the children seemed to take turns crying one after the other and diaper changing never ended. One of my favorite visits which exemplifies Miss. Kimesha's and Mrs. Ineta's investment came in mid July. After putting so much time into teaching Gavin to walk, he took his first steps. If someone had been standing outside the room or even close to its vicinity, they would have thought a baseball player just hit a grand slam to win the World Series from the cheering that erupted, yet that was not the case. Nonetheless, Gavin had taken his first steps and as he stood awestruck Miss. Kimesha, Mrs. Ineta, and I cheered, hugged, and high-fived in celebration. I had not invested half the time they had in teaching Gavin to walk, but I understood the joy of teaching at that moment better than I can even put into words. I think those moments supply them with the energy to keep loving and teaching these infants because despite my small investment in his first steps, I smiled the whole way home that day thinking about it. Moreover, each of the seven children and two teachers in Room 1 brought the joy of teaching to me beyond that one day. On some days, it was Destiny's smile beneath her five pig tails or Hisam's never-ending hugs that enhanced my happiness. Other days my smile came from the way Miguel would sit on the floor with a huge smile rocking himself back and forth completely content and how Marco curled up into my arms after he woke up from a nap. When Kyrah spilled more of her drink on herself than she got in her mouth and Abraham walked around like he owned the classroom, the same joy filled my heart, and of course Gavin's first steps made my heart leap. Forever ingrained in my memory are Mrs. Ineta's heartfelt words of wisdom that she spoke to Miss. Kimesha and me which reaffirmed my love of teaching. Last but certainly not least, Miss. Kimesha not only spent time with me each day I volunteered but she opened up her heart and mind to me. Never in the time I spent at Sheltering Arms this summer did I expect to leave with such a close friend, but through Miss. Kimesha's open heart and mind that is what I have found. Beyond all my expectations, Sheltering Arms has had an amazing impact on my life. I can now say with confidence and experience why I want to become a teacher, and this joyful experience will only provide extra fuel for me to finish my last two years of college to gain my teaching licensure. As I now leave to head back to school, I know that when I answer the question, "What did you do this summer?" over and over that I will have a rave review of Sheltering Arms and the people of Room 1 to give to them. While my time at Sheltering Arms may have only been a fraction of my summer, its impact will not be forgotten, and I cannot wait to get back when I come home for Christmas. posted by nelsmc3 on September 16, 2005