Iris Nieves

Every working parent knows the value of supportive, enriching child care. Iris Nieves' experience has taught her to appreciate it even more. "My first child care experience was not positive," Iris recalls. "At first, my daughters seemed to be doing well, but then, my oldest, Kristal, who was 3 1/2, didn't want to enter her classroom. She would scream and not want to separate from me. She would have tantrums, not verbalize her feelings, and even hit the teachers."

Iris would receive phone calls several times per week and have to leave work to take Kristal home. "They told me that I was not stern enough. Then, they labeled my daughter 'oppositional defiant' with no clinical evaluation," Iris remembers. "They put all the responsibility for her behavior on me. There was no teamwork. No working together to support my child."

Everything changed when Iris found Escuelita Borikén, a quality bilingual preschool that is supported by United Way . "When Kristal reacted the same way at the new school, I was walking on eggshells again," Iris says, "but the staff at Escuelita Borikén had a totally different response." Instead of criticism and blame, Iris received support, communication, teamwork and help finding a clinician. "I really noticed their love, compassion and expertise on how to work with Kristal," says Iris, "together, we created consistency between home and school." Kristal showed remarkable improvement. "She uses her words to express her feelings instead of screaming or hitting, and has developed coping skills."

Today, Kristal is thriving and on her way to entering kindergarten ready to learn. What does LIVE UNITED mean to Iris? "It means helping one another, working together to create a chain reaction that builds a stronger community."