Meet Ahara: Curious, Science-Minded and Eager to Learn

Nov 6

Written By

Ahara is a bright, happy four-year-old preschooler at YWCA Children’s Center located inside the busy community education building, Hubbs Center for Lifelong Learning.

Ahara’s parents first learned about YWCA’s early learning programs through Hubbs, where her dad was taking English classes at the time. They were looking for a preschool close to home, where Ahara could learn and be in an environment with other children. Over the past few years, YWCA Children’s Center has helped Ahara learn social skills, piqued her interest in reading and helped prepare her for living in a diverse community.

Comfortable with the Differences of Others

Ahara’s mom, Willow, loves the diversity and inclusiveness of the classroom, and the multiple languages spoken by the teachers. “At YWCA, she’s around people from different countries, with different languages and different skin colors, which is so important,” says Willow. Willow says the whole family took a trip to Brazil (where Ahara’s dad is from) and Ahara didn’t blink an eye or experience any culture shock. She’s gotten comfortable with the differences of others, which is something Willow says has shaped Ahara in a really positive way.

Becoming a Leader in Preschool

In the last year, Ahara’s become more of a leader in preschool. “She always takes care of the younger kids when she sees them doing something unsafe that could hurt them,” says Willow. “She understands that the other kids are younger than her and are still learning.”

Unconditional Love from Teachers

Ahara’s favorite part of school? “It’s the unconditional love and support that she gets from her teachers,” says Willow. She has strong connections with her teachers, which makes Ahara more enthusiastic go to school and learn each day.

Scholarship Support

Willow is really appreciative of the help her family has gotten to give Ahara this opportunity. “The scholarship has helped a lot,” she says. “Her education is really important to me, but without the scholarship, we just couldn’t afford it.”Ahara has one more year of preschool left, and then she is off to kindergarten. Her mom says she is ready. “She’s so smart and engaged; she just wants to understand and learn about everything... now!”

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