My name is Carmina Guzman. I attend New York City College of Technology. I will graduate in June 2015 with a human services degree. The population that I want to work with is children. I have always had an interest in children but I want to work with homeless children in particular. I have found a great interest in this population when I started my internship. My internship is in Providence House. We work with mothers and children who are homeless. I have been in my internship for 2 semesters now and I have never seen so many talented children before. I was there for 3 months and I’ve seen the knowledge and everything they have learned within the time I have been there. I’ve seen a 3 year old learn the letters of her name and a 2 year old who learned all the shapes and colors. All of the children enjoy coming to the daycare each day and that’s what makes the experience worthwhile, children that like and enjoy learning.
Education is a very important in a child’s life. I have noticed that majority of these mothers grew up in foster homes. One of the many challenges in working with children and their mothers is trying to get the child out of the cycle and trying to keep a child focused in school at a young age. Another challenge is getting the parents involved more in their education and taking the time to read to them. I want to create a door of opportunities for children by creating programs with education, trips, having cooked meals and just to help transform their lives.
In an article that I read talks about the education and of children and youth experiencing homelessness. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law designed to remove barriers to education created by homelessness so that it can increase the enrollment, attendance and success of children and youth experiencing homelessness. Education can help a child to get out of shelters and not go back to homelessness. It’s great that they can enroll and start immediately even if they don’t have the required documents like birth certificate or proof of residency. Schools must provide transportation if the child’s school is located in another school district. Children who are homeless do encounter a lot of barriers and this act does overcome some of these barriers and makes education number one priority.
Some of my hobbies are volunteering, spending time with children and trying to make a difference in someone’s life.