Going to college is hard work. When you throw two kids and a full-time job into the mix, it’s even harder! Between cooking, cleaning, working, driving kids to soccer practice and helping them with homework, it’s hard for moms to find time to go back to school to continue their education when life at home and at work is already so hectic.
(FFD) works to remove many of the barriers that mothers face, so they can go to school. It is a two-generational program. So, while mom is in class, the kids are receiving quality early childhood education! FFD also provides transportation assistance, books, computers, and other supplies to the moms and kids as needed as well. By removing economic, cultural, and logistical barriers, parents can thrive as students.
Kristin Alley is a single mom of two. She was part of the first ever cohort to go through the FFD program. She said that “FFD was a great support system. The coaches and the other girls helped me get back into the swing of things and kept me going when things got a little tough.”
But FFD was not the only support she had. Her Machias Savings Bank (MSB) family also pushed her to keep studying and working hard every day. While in FFD, Kristin would take proctored exams or do homework in the breakroom at the Columbia location of MSB. There was even office space that she could use upstairs if she really needed a quiet place to work. Her boss not only said yes to these study sessions in the break room, but he encouraged them!
Kristin might be done with FFD but she certainly isn’t done with homework. She still has a few years left before she has her degree in hand. So, the break room at MSB still has quite a few more study sessions to be held.
Kristin wants to show her kids that anything is possible with a little hard work. She attributes her success to FFD. She said that if it were not for this program, she probably never would have gone back to school. But the support she received from her FFD coach, teachers, and MSB is allowing her to better her future and her children’s.