A Heartfelt Thank You from a Program Participant's Family

Last week, we were moved by a heartfelt card from a longtime program participant. She shared her inspiring journey with the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program and how it transformed her family's literacy and essential skills. With her permission, we're delighted to share her story of growth and impact. 

I have been attending FESA’s Parent-Child Mother Goose Program (PCMG) at the Calgary Pregnancy Care Center (CPCC) for almost 6 years. When I first came to this program, my daughter Y was 5 months old. As a new immigrant to this country, I felt lonely and isolated. I was eager to connect with other moms and babies and learn how to raise children in Canada. My counsellor at CPCC referred me to this wonderful program, which ran year-round except for summer and Christmas at the Centre.

In this program, I met weekly with other moms and babies to learn how to interact with the baby through singing and rhyming. The more weekly sessions I attended, the more I realized that this program was much more than singing and rhyming. I felt increasingly confident interacting with Y in daily life. I was thrilled to see Y’s progress and development through the magic power of repetition in repeating the same songs and rhymes. Furthermore, I found that this program created a safe mini-community for moms and babies where we could share our feelings, experiences, and resources. I was no longer lonely and isolated!

When my boy, O, was born, it was during Covid times. I attended this program with Y and O together virtually. When the program returned to in-person delivery, Y started elementary school. With the foundation of learning established in this program, Y excelled academically and socially in school. Now O is two years old, and we still attend this program. O calls the weekly sessions his “school” time. He’s always eager to go to “school” to meet his friends every Thursday.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to FESA for their extraordinary work in building strong families and communities in Calgary. I look forward to participating in FESA’s future community events and activities when they start this project.