Maria

Maria Tenjo, a Home Visitor with our Every Child Succeeds (ECS) program, utilizes her Spanish speaking skill set to serve the Latino community, supporting them in parenting, building community, and reaching self-sufficiency. ECS is a long-term parenting support program that supports families from pregnancy through infancy.

In her 11 years with the program, Maria has established long-term relationships with families, often supporting them through multiple pregnancies.

During her work, she has delivered a wonderful early childhood/parenting curriculum designed to promote healthy development and long-term parent/child attachment. During the playful and creative time with the parents and kids, she has brought joy and love of learning to families. She has been welcomed into their homes, and she has seen lots of strengths as well as challenges. Families are often isolated, struggling with English as their second language, and cut-off from resources. Some families live in fear, hesitant to join community events, or reach out for help. Maria has worked diligently to create a community with the families she serves. She has hosted regular parent groups for years, encouraging families to talk with each other and lean into each other.   

Families within Maria’s Every Child Succeeds circle has started reaching out to each other. Even those who have long graduated from our program still offer rides, share resources such as clothes and baby items, and recently one family even offered to buy and deliver a new crib to a family in need. Families text each other in a group text and support each other directly.  One family sensed another in need and helped another family with monetary support. This is community. This is self-sufficiency! This pandemic has shown that there is a strong network between many of these families that will sustain them in hard times.  

During this pandemic, Maria has supported families through phone calls and video visits. She has continued to deliver diapers, books, and parent/child activities. These pictures show a Mother’s Day project—where Maria and her daughter designed flowers and a vase for each family—and then Maria hand-delivered it (keeping appropriate distance) with diapers and other supplies. It is great to see so many families together!

Thank you Maria for your dedication and commitment to providing services for families!