Catholic Charities Fort Wayne—South Bend: Children's services

SHARING THEIR STORY

Nyein Chan's experiences as a displaced person, freedom fighter, political prisoner, and 'migr' have made him a knowledgeable, empathetic leader in Catholic Charities' refugee resettlement efforts.

To hear Nyein Chan's story of bravery, determination, and survival is to learn of the struggles of so many Burmese refugees who have been fortunate enough to escape tyranny...>

OPEN TO LOVE

"It was this completely calming feeling. I knew at once that I was a mother and we were a family."
–Patrice Dado, adoptive parent

As they built their family, Joe and Patrice Dado experienced the adoption process at both ends of the spectrum from the "closed" process favored in the past to the "open" process often advocated today. Through the efforts of...>

VOLUNTEERING

"During my internship, I got apartments ready for refugees, provided transportation, just about anything that needed to be done. When my internship was over, I just never stopped, I saw a great need."
–Terry Taylor, refugee resettlement volunteer

Terry Taylor caught the helping bug as a college intern in the Refugee Resettlement Program during the fall semester of 2004. Terry, who's working on a degree...>

Catholic Charities to close Children's Cottage in Fort Wayne

Catholic Charities, of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Inc., today announced it will close its Children’s Cottage Day Care Center in Fort Wayne as of May 14, 2010.

We made the very difficult decision to close Children’s Cottage only after a thorough study of the many factors involved, including monetary program support for the center and the cost of necessary capital improvements,” said Catholic Charities Executive Director Debbie Schmidt. “In the end, the Board of Directors determined that our organization does not have the necessary financial resources needed to continue to provide the high level of care we’ve been offering at the center. We deeply regret having to make this announcement; Children’s Cottage has a long history going back more than 20 years,” Schmidt added.

Catholic Charities is notifying parents today of the closing and is referring them to the Child Care Resource and Referral at Early Childhood Alliance. “We’re notifying parents so they’ll have ample time to find new sources of quality day care for their children,” Schmidt said. “We also hope members of the Cottage staff will be successful in locating new employment at other facilities in the area.”

Located at 2820 Reed Street, Children’s Cottage has provided quality day care for children ages 6 months through 12 years from families with low or moderate incomes. Fees have been determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account a family’s income and the number of family members. The center also has utilized nutritious breakfast, lunch and snack programs offered by the Federal Government for child care facilities.

In recent years, Children’s Cottage has employed the progressive High/Scope curriculum designed for age-appropriate development and active learning.

Catholic Charities is a state-licensed, COA-accredited social services agency serving people in the Indiana counties of Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Marshall, Noble, Steuben, St. Joseph, Wabash, Wells and Whitley. Assistance is provided to all individuals regardless of religious affiliation, race, national origin or gender.