“I have a fourth-grade girl that I am close with who lives with her dad and brothers. She has no real relationship with her mom after her mom moved away with no contact. Despite her struggles at home, she comes to school always ready to learn and was even awarded student of the month by her teacher! Since she lives with boys and is a tomboy herself, she was never taught how to take care of her hair. She has long beautiful hair, but I’m not sure if it was even brushed once over the summer. Her hair was matted together in one long piece- I have worked in a hair salon for the last five years and have only seen one case worse than hers. I talked with her teacher and was able to find the time to detangle, brush, shampoo, condition, and braid her hair. This was a big task, and with the help of my coworker, within an hour and a half her hair was tangle-free and clean!
This is something I have continued to do throughout the month and plan to do for the rest of the year. I taught her the best way to brush her hair and offered her supplies, so hopefully she will be able to do it herself one day. We have gotten close with the time we have spent together, bonding over animals and how we like being outside on sunny days. I love being in my position to be able to help kids and give her an experience she was never able to have. Doing this for her has made her more confident and given her a connection to a female figure that I hope she will look back on and feel grateful for!”
– Charles Elementary School, Site Coordinator