"To help people in the community realize their potential for becoming self sufficient."

Throughout P.E.A.C.E., Inc.'s 35 plus years of service to the community, the agency has touched many lives and helped make the community stronger. Below is a story of one individual's journey with P.E.A.C.E., Inc. and the difference it has made in their life and their families' life.

John- Early Head Start participant

When John thinks about P.E.A.C.E., Inc.’s Early Head Start (EHS) program he is reminded of the positive life experiences and changes his family has been through within the last few years.

John’s oldest son, Paul, was attending P.E.A.C.E., Inc.’s Baldwinsville Head Start, and it was through that program that John learned of a program for his youngest son, Andrew. The EHS program that John learned about was a program for children age birth to three years old, which provided socialization for his son and a chance to meet outside the home with other children of the same age. In addition to the social aspects of the program, Home Visitors, named Heather and Paige, were also assigned to come to the home and work with Andrew to develop appropriate skills for his age group.

During this time, John found himself unemployed, which meant the family was forced to live off of his wife, Jennifer’s, salary. Being out of work proved difficult for John to deal with, but he was happy for the opportunity to watch his children grow and change. In addition to working with John’s son, Heather and Paige also followed his job search progress, and offered ways for his family to recognize and reach certain family goals.

Although staying home with the children was great, John realized that there was much that he did not know about raising his family. Questions such as; why don’t the boys listen to me, where is the logic behind their actions, went through John’s mind. To help John with his questions Heather gave him the name of the Male Involvement Specialist, Mark, and the Mental Health Coordinator, Regina, at EHS.   

Through the EHS Male Involvement program John became involved in a male involvement group that would meet to discuss issues and concerns associated with parenting and give participants a chance to discuss the many stages children go through. Through the group John also had a chance to meet other parents facing the same issues, and receive support and guidance from the group. “Through the male involvement group I have had the opportunity to see that there are problems that I could never dream of, but with the help of the group there is a support and possible solutions.”

Through the EHS program John and his family were also introduced to Regina, Mental Health Coordinator. “Regina spoke with our family and helped us cope with family issues, such as being out of work, and family communication. Regina spoke with us, and offered other avenues to solve some of those issues.”

When asked to speak about the EHS program, John is adamant in saying that his family has had opportunities and access to programs that would have been unavailable to them without the EHS program, and for that he is thankful.