“I wanted to make a change, but I didn’t know how”: Gretel’s commitment to giving her children a better life
Gretel first heard about Cope when she was pregnant with her third child. At the time, she had lost custody of her older children due to her opioid addiction and was living at Rainbow House, a transitional living program for young mothers. She didn’t have a job, or a car, and was feeling alone and helpless.
After five years of battling her addiction, she was committed to staying clean and giving her children a better future.
“I knew I wanted to make a change, but I didn’t know how,” says Gretel. “When I learned about Cope’s Home Visiting program, I signed up, hopeful that it would help me be a better parent. I started working with Maria right after Aiden was born and since then, she’s helped me turn my life around.”
Today, Gretel is clean, enrolled in computer training classes at Napa Valley Adult School, and recently started a new job as a Case Manager at a local youth services organization. And, a year ago, she regained custody of her older children, Xavier (14) and Sara (9)!
Maria reflects on her journey with Gretel, saying “I am so proud of the changes Gretel has made in her life. She has overcome so much. It took a lot of courage, hard work and resilience to get to where she is today.”
Our Home Visitors work with parents like Gretel to provide encouragement, guidance, and support to be successful in all areas of their lives which benefits their children. One of the key elements of the program is helping parents set and reach personal goals, such as furthering their education, gaining employment, or improving their mental or physical health.
Some of Gretel’s goals are smaller, like reading to her kids every day or scheduling regular medical checkups and dental visits. One of her next big goals is to finish her classes at Napa Valley Adult school and attend Napa Valley College.
“Maria has helped me achieve so much,” says Gretel. “She helps me break down my big goals into smaller steps and helps keep me on track. I don’t think I could have done all this without her.”
“I am so proud of her professional growth,” says Maria. “I’ve watched her go from being a client at Rainbow House to then working at Rainbow House to now being a Case Manager. I tell her she is planting Gretel seeds wherever she goes. She is using her past experiences to help others who are going through similar struggles. She’s now in a good place and is sharing her story to help lift up others.”
A foundational way that Cope protects children and supports families is by connecting them with community resources to meet their most urgent and basic needs such as housing, food and mental health services. We also provide emergency grocery and gas gift cards to help them make ends meet during times of crisis.
“When I first got clean, I didn’t know about all the help that was available,” Gretel recalls. “Maria helped me enroll in Medi-Cal, connected me with food resources, and childcare. Cope gave me gift cards when I didn’t have enough money for gas or groceries. This was such a relief and helped me take care of my children even when money was tight.”
Teaching parents about their child's development and how they can support it is vital to giving every child the best start possible. We teach them about the stages and milestones their children will go through and how they, as parents, can help promote development so their children grow into healthy and resilient adults.
"I've learned how important it is to do activities with Aiden,” says Gretel. “I read and play with him a lot, and Maria gives me ideas of what I can do with him to help him learn and grow."
Maria explains, “Children learn best through active play. Taking a few moments to do an activity, no matter how small, helps expand their brain development and grow their motor skills, language development, thinking skills and social-emotional development.”
Supporting parents and families is the best way to help every child succeed in life. For Gretel, working with Cope has helped her stay clean, bring her family back together and focus on giving her children the best life possible.
"Cope has changed my life,” she says. “If I hadn't joined the Home Visiting program, things would be so much harder. I still struggle sometimes but I know that I can ask for help when I need it.”
When Aiden’s preschool teacher mentioned that he doesn’t speak much at school, Gretel raised the concern with Maria. They are now focusing on speech building activities in their visits and doing further screenings to determine if there are any developmental delays or social-emotional issues that need further attention. If additional support is needed, Maria will help connect them with resources in the community.
Maria noted, “It’s not easy to ask for help, and I’m so proud of Gretel for speaking up when she needs it.”
Rebuilding her relationship with her older children is an ongoing process, and it isn’t easy. Regaining their trust and healing the hurt from the past will take time, but she knows that she has doesn’t have to do it on her own.
“Having someone to turn to when I don't know what to do has made such a difference,” she said. “It's such a relief to able to have someone I can count on and not have to figure it all out on my own.”