Success Stories

Every day, Southwest Human Development's professional staff members report amazing progress in the lives of the children and families with whom they work. Child by child and family by family, Southwest Human Development is helping our community provide a positive start for its youngest children. 

The families in the stories below participated in the 2011 Portraits of Opportunity event. Each story is accompanied by photos featured at the event.

From the start, Julie and Robert had a difficult time getting their son, Nathan, to eat. As he grew older he was reluctant to take solid foods and became severely underweight. Even after seeing specialists they didn’t come away with a clear understanding of their son’s problem. Finally, they brought him to the Children’s Developmental Center where a team focused on creating one evaluation and one treatment plan.
Read his story



When Yvette and Rogelio were expecting their first child, they began looking for a new apartment. At one community, Foothills Court in Phoenix, the manager told them about an interesting program that took place there, one that brought residents together and taught parents about reading to kids at an early age. After moving to Foothills Court, they signed up for the program immediately. It turned out to be the Raising A Reader program.
Read their story

 

Sofia was a shy little girl who had a speech delay. She had trouble communicating verbally and played by herself. Then Sofia's parents enrolled her in Head Start's preschool program, where teachers worked with Sofia and the family to help her develop her social skills and now she actively participates in classroom routines.
Read her story

Three years ago Jeni’s life was in chaos. After struggling with drug abuse for years, she found herself pregnant and needed a safe and structured living environment for herself and her baby-to-be. While in an inpatient substance abuse clinic, Jeni learned about the Healthy Families program where she received regular support from a home visitor who helped Jeni provide a healthy environment for her son.
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About a year ago, Abby, who was exposed to drugs at birth, was placed in the care of Jennifer and Eddie who already adopted four girls. To help transition Abby into their home, they turned to Southwest Human Development where they also received help from the agency's disabilities team. Today Abby is happy and healthy and loves playing with her sisters.
Read her story

 

When Lerner made a career change and opened up a child care center in her home, she was hoping it would allow her to spend more time with her daughter. After discovering the challenges that come with running a child care center, she knew she needed some extra guidance. Lerner found a great resource in Southwest Human Development where she was paired with a coach who provided personalized support.
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Ké wanted to find the right child care center for her son, but after visiting numerous centers, she never found one she felt comfortable with. From then on Ké developed a strong interest in the child care industry. Later in life she got a job at Bright Horizons Family Solutions Center, but found it a challenge to provide constructive feedback to the staff. Ké enrolled in the Emergent Leaders program, where she learned to be a better communicator and leader.
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Nehal and Naimish noticed that one of their twin daughters, Shivani, wasn't developing as quickly as her sister. At first doctors thought she had cerebral palsy, but was later diagnosed with something else; a rare genetic disorder. As a result, Shivani's speech and cognitive skills are delayed. To help Shivani reach her developmental goals, Nehal and Naimish came to Southwest Human Development where she received therapy from our early intervention team.
Read her story

 

Click here to read stories from the families that participated in the 2010 Portraits of Opportunity event.