Mariely: Giving the Bronx a head start

Mariely wanted more for her 2-year-old daughter Sarai. As a single mom and lifelong Bronx resident, Mariely was dreading the process of searching for preschool in Pelham Parkway, a childcare desert of the Pelham Parkway neighborhood. Mariely was desperate enough to begin looking for centers in downtown Manhattan.

“I had no idea how I would get to the Lower East Side every day with a two-year-old,” Mariely said. “But I needed to make it happen because I was at that stage where she needed more help than I could offer.” 

She constantly felt stretched thin, even with the support of her grandmother who helped raise her curious and creative daughter. Mariely’s stress over finding child care Bronx only worsened when her grandmother experienced a serious fall and needed full-time care.

But when Mariely heard that Grand Street’s Pelham Parkway Child & Family Center was opening its doors, a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. No longer did she have to worry about trekking every morning from the Bronx to downtown Manhattan for high-quality childcare.

“I think I was one of the first parents who signed up,” Mariely shared. 

In the lead-up to Sarai enrolling full-time, Grand Street’s Pelham Parkway staff helped Mariely and Sarai transition into their new environment by having them attend short workshops and classes a couple of times a week. For Sarai and her mother, this was a huge step.

“It’s been me and her since she was born, so this was the first time I let her go out into the world.”

Mariely joined our Parents Ambassador program to help other parents like her who are going through similar circumstances.

“Finding Grand Street has allowed me to be a better parent to Sarai and a better caregiver to my grandmother. It’s helped me establish a better routine for myself and for the whole family. I want to help other parents know how to access the help I got at Grand Street.”