By Christian Henson
Shreveport, La. – The Providence House in Shreveport provides support for homeless men and women with children trying to get an education and move forward in a positive direction.
The Providence House has a Work to Learn program where adults can get their GED and begin college credit hours. While they are learning their preschool-age children can learn in their own classroom using an iPad. Verni Howard, Executive Director of Providence House, said “They’re not doing Minecraft or roadblocks or any of those things. They are actually learning using ABC mouse. They’re learning phonics, ABCs, their colors.”
The iPads were bought with a 5,000 dollar grant from the Rotary Club of Shreveport and have become a vital resource in the classroom.
Latoya Thomas, Lead teacher at Providence House Preschool, said “It’s definitely a good learning tool for them because technology is growing every day. “The kids are learning and having fun but more importantly they are setting the foundation for a bright future.
Howard said “We want them to be kindergarten ready but most important, we don’t want them to cross our threshold as adults. So if we can sow into them now to make sure that they are well educated and ready for school that is the first part of self-sufficiency.”
Providence House is the only child care facility in Louisiana that exclusively cares for homeless children. They are in the process of opening up 20 more spots for children whose parents are not homeless or out of work but cannot afford childcare for nonschool age children.