I am the guardian/single parent of a child (whom for legal privacy reasons I will refer to as H.P. for Harry Potter) with years of mental health crisis. H.P. came to me a little over a year ago with a lifetime of trauma, hurt, pain, and let down and a great need for major healing. He has had a constant flow of people coming in and going out of his life that any form of loss/change is an extreme for him emotionally/mentally which also turns into physical outbursts as our minds and bodies can only take so much especially at such a vital time of growth for a child. So much of this healing journey is just beginning and little time left until adulthood. While I know of course this journey will likely take him into adulthood to work through it all, these coming years are critical to get him going in a healthy direction.
H.P.’s educational journey has been devastating for him. Classroom environments without the proper support needed, constant misunderstanding and sending home without the tools to succeed. When H.P. came here he was on his way to a more supportive school environment while sadly also being more restrictive. While we all (H.P.’s full team: therapists, psychiatrist & myself) thought this would be great for him as well as his home life here we came to find that this was causing more trauma on a daily basis and fear of going to school. Learning came to a halt and daily explosions with behaviors the new norm. Sleep was hard fought for and not peaceful for him as fear of the next school day was always looming.
In trying to find what is the very best for H.P., I advocated to get him into home schooling to relieve his over stimulated neuro system, stop the ongoing trauma and bring calm to his everyday life. We started homeschooling in October of 2024 and wow has life changed for H.P. for the better! He’s now excited about learning and sharing what he learns about. His system is calming down where daily explosions have gone to about once every other week. His quality sleep and routine are in an incredibly positive place as well. His grades are all As and Bs and his self-confidence is beginning to bloom in this area. He went from reading 20-30min a day as a part of required reading to wanting/asking to read for an hour or two depending on the day. H.P. started at 1st grade math and was able to move on the 2nd grade math within 3.5 months! As he is behind by a few years in grade level this is quite incredible to see and for him to feel.
He has started opening up about deeper feelings from his past that he hasn’t been open/willing to talk about since he came here. H.P.’s life is changing for the better but I need help to keep him on this path. As a single parent my options are limited so I’m asking for help to keep H.P. in homeschooling. He needs a parent/guardian at home with him at all times; as while I cannot give details it is not an option for H.P. to be home alone as he cannot be safe alone. And keeping on point with trauma informed parenting every day for him is always my daily goal combined with the best environment possible to promote healing and growth in a safe environment. Any support and all the prayers are greatly appreciated!
Breakdown of what need could look like:
Daily Home Babysitter: $25/hr at 9.5 hrs a day = 237.5
$237.5 x 5 days a week = 1,187.5
$1,187.5 x 50 weeks (xmas off) = $59,375 annually
Instead, with me staying home with H.P. it provides him consistency and no potential loss of daily care person or constant change of care person. Mitigates the issue of no-show days of care. And eliminates continual change. Stability in every way possible is of high importance and top priority is that he is and feels safe.
Breakdown of need I’m asking for support with:
Monthly Healthcare Insurance Cost: $1100/month x 12 = $13,200 annually
Monthly Housing Cost: $2200/month x 12 = $26,400 annually
Total: $39,600 annually