When “Amina” first connected with Project CARE, she had already done the hardest part: she had left an abusive marriage, moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania with her two young daughters, and started over completely on her own.
Amina is an educated woman and now works as a teller at a bank. Before that, she worked at Walmart. But as a single mom without any family nearby, the math of daily life simply did not add up. She has to leave the house by 6:45 a.m. to open her branch by 8:30 a.m., while her daughters’ school day doesn’t begin until 8:45. She needs before-care, after-school care, and summer camp – because, as she put it, “for a single mom, two girls? No. It’s not at all. It’s impossible.”
Her rent alone is a “big chunk” of her paycheck – $1,600 for a one-bedroom apartment in a safe area. On top of that are the basics: food (for “growing girls who need chicken, they need food”), clothes as their sizes constantly change, gas, car costs, and all the invisible labor of running a household alone. “If I put the stress on the credit card, I will fall,” she explained.
Without affordable, reliable childcare, Amina’s entire economic foundation would collapse. There is simply no way she could keep her job, pay rent, and keep her daughters safe.
Through a connection from her doctor to Laurel House, and then to Project CARE, Amina was able to secure consistent before- and after-school care and summer camp for both of her daughters. For her, that support is not a luxury—it is the backbone of her family’s stability. When asked what has been most helpful, she didn’t hesitate: “Daycare. Before/after care. If you ask me to be very honest… before and after care.”
Knowing her girls are in a nurturing, developmentally appropriate environment allows her to:
Her daughters are thriving in care—confident, engaged, talkative, and building strong relationships with their caregivers. Amina says, “Mom doesn’t have time to teach them, but the caregivers are doing. I cannot do enough. Thank you to them.” She describes her routine now as “steady” and “predictable,” and says that with childcare in place, she can finally run her “circle” each month— work, rent, food, and bills without everything crashing down.
Project CARE has also been a key part of her emotional and mental health support network. She attends counseling during her breaks and feels “more confident, positive,” and more hopeful about the future. She talks about this season as a “rewiring and transformation” phase: “I’m rewiring myself; to be honest it’s a transformation phase. I want to fly. I’m going to show them the colors of rainbow.”
One moment stands out clearly in her memory. When a billing issue with an after-school program threatened to block her daughters from attending, Amina was terrified—if they were turned away, she would not be able to work. Project CARE staff stepped in, communicated with the program, and advocated so her daughters could continue attending while the issue was resolved. She describes that day as a turning point: “You have no idea… she was an angel that day.” In her words, having someone step in so she could keep working meant she didn’t “shut down” under the stress.
For Amina, this isn’t about being rescued. It’s about having the right support so her own strength and determination can actually move her family forward. When asked what Project CARE has made possible, she answered simply:
“Running my show on my own. I feel this independence so much… I do not have to take any help
from my friends and family… You have no idea how beautiful this is.”
And when she thinks about funders and community leaders, her message is clear:
“Don’t stop. You’re changing lives… making these beautiful kids’ future. You’re helping their mom, which nobody else is doing right now.”
Amina’s story shows what happens when a survivor’s courage and work ethic are matched with practical, trauma-informed childcare support: stable employment, rent paid on time, children who are learning and thriving, and a mother who is slowly, steadily building the economic and emotional foundation her family needs.
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