Three years ago, on a warm autumn day, the little Alen timidly stepped in the Day Care Center of For Our Children Foundation. Despite the uncertainty, his large dark eyes shone with curiosity and studied every detail. 

The parents of the little hero told us his story, which deeply touched the hearts of our entire team. The child had experienced a lot of ups and downs – a severe burn and a prolonged stay in the hospital left a mark on little Alen. After this incident, he started to experience high levels of anxiety. His parents, visibly worried, wanted to help him by providing the necessary support from specialists. Their we hopeful that the little one will once again be the carefree child from before the incident. 

The child’s condition was not good – he couldn’t control his thoughts or his body, nor could he set boundaries. He was confused because he didn’t know what is happening to him, and why the way he perceives the world differs from his peers. This made him tense and hyperactive. 

Guided by hope and faith, the Day Center team took the first steps of the long road ahead. After in-depth consultations between the various specialists – a psychologist, a speech therapist, a rehabilitator and an Early child development specialist, a multifunctional assessment of the child was prepared, as well as a detailed program. The goal of Alen’s individual plan was to support him and provide an environment in which he can feel at ease and inspire him to learn. 

With small steps, side by side with Alen’s parents, we went through his development again. We learned, repeated and consolidated skills and knowledge. The social assistants took care of him with a lot of attention and love. They showed him the world, and when necessary they “turned upside down” to look at the world through his eyes and understand it. 

Day after day, he coped with the challenges and took more and more confident steps. Alen grew and overcame many of his traumas and thus eliminated many of his deficits. Over time, the tension in him decreased more and more. 

After three years of hard work, various activities, a lot of patience and a lot of challenges, we proudly sent off our little student. 

Alain taught us a lot and proved that almost anything is possible as long as there is diligence and desire. We thank him for rewarding us by filling our hearts with joy and faith that we can achieve great things together. Stories like this of Alen and his family, who today proudly is holding his diploma from the Day Care Center, prove to us that our efforts are worth it. 

With a smile, pride in our hearts and a little sadness, our team wishes Alen to walk bravely on the path of his childhood, fight difficulties and believe in himself, as we taught him. 

Thanks to the good bridge between services, he will continue his education in a kindergarten on resource support. 

The story is told by Keti Lazarova, Early Childhood Intervention Specialist at the Day Care Center of For Our Children Foundation.