Childhaven Fosters Poise, Spirit

This is one in a series of articles on The Seattle Times Fund for the Needy.

Three-year-old Emmely Vernon had a smile almost as bright as her pink sweats when she saw her mother walk into the room at her day-care center.

She knew it was time to go home.

It's part of her routine. Five days a week, Emmely goes to day care at 9 a.m.; her mom, Teresa Vernon, 23, picks her up at 2:45 p.m.; and then they go home.

For Emmely, this is stability. And it's something she hasn't always enjoyed.

For six months last year Emmely and her 5-year-old brother, Martice, didn't see their mother or their home. They lived in foster care while their mother was in a shelter recovering from severe depression after the children's father left the family.

"When I did get them back, it made me appreciate them more," Vernon said.

Vernon has since gotten a court protective order against the children's father out of concern that he was abusive.

Last year, while the children were in foster care, Child Protective Services enrolled them in Childhaven, a nonprofit agency that provides daily therapeutic child care and treatment for abused and neglected children. (The agency receives a grant from Fund for the Needy donations.)

There are more than 250 infants and preschool-age children at four Childhaven centers in King County.

The children participate in typical day-care activities including finger painting, listening to stories and playing outside. Depending on the needs of the children, they also receive therapy for developmental disabilities and behavioral problems.

When Emmely came to Childhaven, she had low self-esteem and difficulty interacting with others, said Carmen Rodriquez, a case manager at Childhaven. There's been a big change since then.

"She has really turned into a classroom leader," Rodriquez said. "She's happy and very confident."

Emmely will attend Childhaven until she's ready to go to kindergarten.

Martice "graduated" from Childhaven last year and is now enrolled in a regular kindergarten class at a public school in King County.

Martice had learned to express anger and frustration through hitting, Vernon said. But with the help of play therapy at Childhaven, he has learned to act out anger in other ways.

"He had to learn to control himself," Vernon said. "He was very angry. He wouldn't speak. He would hit."

Childhaven encourages parents to help in the classroom and offers parenting courses. Vernon, who was required by Child Protective Services to take parenting classes at Harborview Medical Center last year, helps in Emmely's classroom at Childhaven.

Vernon, who would like to be a paralegal, began taking community-college classes this month.

In the meantime, she plans to spend her days with Emmely, Martice and her nine-month-old son, Azeem Hosein.

"I try to spend more time with them now," she said. "They grow too fast. I'd like to enjoy it while I can."

Tamra Fitzpatrick's phone message number is 206-464-8981. Her e-mail address is: tfit-new@seatimes.com ------------------------------------------- Where donations go

Your contributions to Fund for the Needy will help deserving children and families and give special support to agencies working to stop violence. All contributions go directly to these local charities: Salvation Army, Senior Services, Childhaven, Treehouse, First Place, Deaconess Children's Services, Family Services, Atlantic Street Center, and Youth Eastside Services. No funds are used for administrative costs, and no money or goods will be given by The Seattle Times to individuals featured in the stories. Contributions are tax-deductible. The fund is registered with the secretary of state's charities division in Olympia.