Oliver's Story

Our journey with Florence Crittenton began a year ago when our family made the decision to welcome a “tiny but mighty” 3 year old boy into our family and hearts through fostering.

When we started out the fostering journey, we initially planned to care for older children. We planned and God seemed to have another plan for us! We didn’t think we’d (dare we say wanted to…) ever enter the diapering, car seat, daycare season again. Thankfully, at the same time, we were introduced to Florence Crittenton’s Preschool where Oliver had been attending for more than a year. During his short life, he has already been through 8 different foster placements and has experienced a lot of turbulence and trauma. Can you even imagine what that would feel like being shuffled around that many times? Wondering where you would be sleeping the next night?

Our family committed to providing a safe, secure and loving home for Oliver. It was also important to us to know that he was receiving nurturing and consistent care while we worked during the day. We have been so impressed with everything about the preschool. Having placed our biological children in other programs in town, we have come to appreciate the exceptional quality of care this team provides. One of the most valuable things is the quality of the relationships that Oliver has built. During his time there, the staff have all stayed the same, which enables him to develop deep, trusting relationships with staff who truly know and care about him. The academic and social emotional aspects are great and our family appreciates the delicious, healthy meals they provide too. I don’t have to take extra time every morning to make lunches or pack snacks. Every extra bit of support helps!

The most valuable piece to us is that Florence Crittenton’s Preschool really understands trauma and building trust through relationships. During some difficult times when Oliver was placed in different homes, he always came back to preschool every day and they provided a place where he could feel safe and secure despite the turbulence going on all around him. The team supports visits and therapies and goes above and beyond to help provide the highest quality care so he has the highest chance of success. He is excited to come to school every day and has recently transitioned into a new classroom with flying colors. This milestone is such a victory for our family as we work to help him heal, build strong relationships and become a healthy and happy kiddo.

We are confident that our family has found the best possible place for Oliver to learn and flourish and wish more programs like Florence Crittenton were available in Helena and across the country. Fostering children like Oliver is so needed. We know it can be daunting, but with daily respite and support and partners like Florence Crittenton, it can be done!

*please note all identifying information has been changed in this story to protect the identity of the individuals.

Oliver has been coming to Preschool for a little over two years. In that time, he’s truly opened up – not only to our teachers, but to his classmates as well. He is a bright individual and thrives when he’s at school. When Oliver came to us, he was so shy he didn’t like interacting with the other kids nor our teaching staff at all. Now, he is able to make great connections which will lead to a life-long ability to make friends and foster healthy relationships.

Sydney Wilke - Lead Teacher