Sandra is a single mom who lives in Pleasant Valley.The job she’d had since leaving high school barely covered the cost of raising her three-year-old daughter, Abby.
With help from her aunt, Sandra enrolled in classes at Dutchess Community College so she could get a college degree and find a better job. Abby was in preschool, while Sandra worked, but in the evenings when she went to classes she couldn’t afford baby sitters, until her aunt agreed to watch Abby. For three semesters, things were going really well and Sandra was getting close to graduating. Then her aunt got sick.
Without child care at night, Sandra thought she was going to have to drop out of school. She couldn’t think of any solution. That’s when Sandra called United Way’s 24-Hour 211 Helpline. With our support she was able to pay for child care and stay in school. She’ll be graduating on time and loves it when Abby, who’s now 5, says she wants to “be smart like my Mommy when I grow up.”
