This month, KHQ NonStop Local is focusing on ALICE — an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These are people who may have jobs, but still struggle to afford basic needs like housing, transportation, and especially child care.
For single parents and young parents, the challenge is even greater. At GLOW Early Learning Center in Downtown Spokane, 27-year-old Latrese Aguilera finds peace of mind when she drops off her baby, Isaac.
“It’s nice to be able to bring him to a place where I know he’s safe, learning, growing, and discovering,” Aguilera said.
GLOW does more than your typical daycare. From diapers and formula to clothing and extra food, it’s all provided – easing the heavy load young parents often carry alone.
“It’s a huge chunk of work that parents don’t have to focus on — because we’ve got them,” GLOW Founder Katie Jessop said.
Many of GLOW’s families are teen parents, including Aguilera, who had her first child at 15. Her story took an even tougher turn at age 17 when she became pregnant with her second son while homeless. Survival came first. School, dreams, and security had to wait.
That’s where Lumen High School comes in. Right next door to GLOW, this charter school was designed for expecting and parenting teens.
“About half our students are considered ‘unaccompanied’ — meaning homeless youth. Our goal is to stabilize them and show them there’s a way forward,” Lumen High School Founder Shauna Edwards said.
Students can bring their baby to class until the child is four months old. After that, GLOW steps in, providing care until kindergarten. GLOW Founder Katie Jessop knows how hard it is to escape poverty without support.
“There are so many catch-22s in the world of being poor or low-income. You can’t get a job without housing, but you can’t get housing without a job. You can’t go to interviews if you have your children with you,” Jessop said.
These realities make wraparound services like on-site WIC, case management, free food, diapers, clothing banks so vital. Aguilera’s life has changed dramatically. More than a decade after her toughest years, she’s now married to the father of her three sons.
Her two oldest are in school. Baby Isaac is thriving at GLOW and Aguilera works there now — helping other young parents through GLOW’s outreach program.
GLOW accepts state subsidies and almost 100% of its families pay for care that way. However, that only makes up 70% of the daycare’s operating budget, which means it fundraises and grant writes for the remaining 30% of costs.
If you want to donate or volunteer your time, you can learn more on the GLOW Children Early Learning Center Facebook page.
