Like most parents, Quosham and his wife Shaquria are doing everything they can to set their four young sons up for success. Understandably, they want to see their children thrive and they make intentional choices that will have the most positive impact. Quosham says that one of the best decisions they have made was to enroll their boys in a Starfish Family Services Early Childhood Education Center.
When their oldest sons, Jay’Sham and Bray’Sham were three and two years old, Quosham and Shaquria were looking for opportunities for them outside of the home, to be around other children. Shaquria especially wanted something that would support them educationally. They enrolled the boys at our Hiveley location in Inkster, close to their home. Very quickly, they knew they had found even more than what they were looking for at Starfish.
Each year through Starfish, 4,000 children, youth, and families are supported through integrated and holistic programs that focus on healthy families, successful students, and empowered families. Without contributions from our donors, these services might not be available to all that need them.
When they started with Starfish, both boys were behind developmentally, specifically with their verbal communication and emotional regulation. The progress they experienced through Starfish was tremendous. They saw an increase in the boys’ social skills, their verbal communication, and emotional control. They could see how the teachers built personal relationships with each child, understanding where they were as individuals developmentally and socially. They also built a connection with parents, meeting regularly to make sure they were supporting the children in partnership.
“Starfish made us feel like family.”
At Starfish, we are honored to feel like family to the children, youth, and adults we serve. Whether it is through early education or behavioral health services, we see and support the whole person and the whole family.
The connection Starfish makes with our families has left a lasting impression on Quosham. By focusing on the whole family, Starfish was able to support them during challenging times, such as job loss, by providing additional resources such as diapers and clothing for the kids, alleviating some of the strain the family was experiencing. More than that, Quosham says the compassion they were shown from the Starfish staff was beyond what he expected. “I don’t even want to call it a school, it’s a family center. It’s for families.”
In mid-2023, the family’s life was shaken when Jay’Sham was hospitalized for nearly a month, diagnosed with a heart condition. During that time, Quosham and Shaquria spent day and night splitting their time at the hospital and with their three younger boys, having to prioritize their children over working, which caused financial strain. Starfish was able to provide resources to the family so they could focus where they needed to focus. “Starfish helped more than anyone…I still to this day don’t know how to express that gratitude to them,” shared Quosham.
Jay’Sham and Bray’Sham are now in elementary school, going into second and first grade. Quosham shared that, thanks to what they gained from Starfish, they were far above their classmates in terms of being prepared for school. Quosham’s younger children, Dray’Sham, aged three, and Tay’Sham, aged one, are currently enrolled at Starfish. With the younger boys, he and his wife have seen them breeze through milestones even more quickly than their brothers, to which he credits starting at Starfish at an earlier age as well as the things that they have learned as a family to support their kids at home. “Starfish is making parenting easy.”