{"id":14056,"date":"2021-04-07T21:41:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T05:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.threadalaska.org\/?page_id=14056"},"modified":"2023-06-08T15:23:12","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T23:23:12","slug":"family-stories","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.threadalaska.org\/thread\/families\/family-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Stories 2.0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Family Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Meet three Alaskan families below who shared with us their stories of resilience, child care, and life during the pandemic.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Phallon<\/figure><\/div><\/div>

Phallon Rogers<\/h2>

Anchorage<\/p>

We moved to a new apartment in January, and we needed to find a child care program in the area for my 10-year-old son. With all the stresses that come with moving, I didn\u2019t know what to do about child care. This wasn\u2019t just any small thing like calling the electric company to change my address\u2014this is where my child was going to spend so much of his time!<\/p>

I needed help so I contacted my case worker with Child Care Assistance, who referred me to thread<\/strong>. I called thread <\/strong>and spoke to Wendy, who was so kind and understanding. We talked about how to visit programs and select the one that was right for my son. She offered advice as if she was offering it to her friend versus just another client. It was the best advice for me in that moment.<\/p>

She sent over a detailed list of programs that accepted Child Care Assistance in my area. It was so helpful to have one less thing to do in the middle of a stressful time. We visited several programs and found one we liked that would pick up my son from school for after-school care.<\/p>

Child care is so important to my family. My husband and I both work. I need to work full-time, so I rely on after-school care to extend my work hours past the 5.5-hour school day. I have relied on child care in order to work since my son was 15 months old.<\/p>

I\u2019m grateful I have been able to keep working during the pandemic. Through it all my son attended child care, where he also did virtual classes when his school was closed. The staff there went above and beyond. It was also great that he had that everyday interaction with his peers when so many other activities were closed due to the pandemic.<\/p>

What makes your family strong?<\/em><\/p>

We are resilient. We know we\u2019re always going to get through it, and we do.<\/p>

Favorite family activity?<\/em><\/p>

Lately we\u2019ve gotten very fond of watching movies, relaxing, and having down time. We also love playing games and recently purchased The Game of LIFE board game.<\/p><\/div>