A Day in the Life at St. Ann's Center

This blog is part of a monthly reflection series from St. Ann's Center CEO, Sister Mary Bader. 
Find more of these reflections by visiting the archive: Sister Mary's Minute.

Greetings from St. Ann's Center! It’s been exciting and busy this past month. Mothers and children, back at school, are settled into their new routines. Up early, catching the school bus - or moving through the building excitedly to join the others in the new Head Start classroom at St. Ann’s.

An unofficial schedule stop for many of the children is a visit to my office – maybe a quick “hello” on their way to their classroom, but more typically a longer “social call” on their way out at the end of the day!

There’s Lucy who – with one hand on my credenza the other on my desk – pushes herself up to show me how she can swing her legs back and forth, higher and higher. She beams proudly when I call her “our gymnast.”

There are two brothers, both under age 5, who vie for my attention, often working in a polite ask for candy amidst their enthusiastic greetings and reports of their day’s highlights. One day, with their mom’s permission, I gave them each a lollipop, to which the older brother responded wide-eyed with surprise, “Mystery flavor? I’ve never had mystery flavor before!”

And then there are the twins who lived at St. Ann’s for several years and came back last Tuesday with their mother for a visit. As kindergartners, they are going to “the big school” now. “We miss our old school here!” they exclaimed in unison! Their mom added, “I knew I never had to worry about the care my children were receiving. It’s like one big family here.”

These are the sort of daily interactions I treasure so much. The children show such joy and reflect such healthy confidence – it is a testimony to the positive journey that their mothers have embarked upon at St. Ann’s.  

Thank you for making these marvelous journeys possible!

Gratefully Yours,
Sister Mary Bader, CEO

Save the Date | St. Ann's Christmas Open House

Sister Mary Bader and St. Ann's Center's Board of Directors welcome you to our annual Christmas Open House - taking place Sunday, December 3 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at our Hyattsville home. We hope you can join us for an afternoon of Christmas cheer! 

                 A formal invitation is on its way to you -
                    so please check your mailbox soon! 

About St. Ann's Center

St. Ann’s Center helps mothers and children overcome crisis and achieve lasting independence and stability by providing a safe and supportive home, child care, education and employment assistance, and clinical social work services within a Catholic community that welcomes all.

Image: Mother and daughter walking on a path together.