Greetings! I am Alegria Sita... aka, Jam's mom. I'm a full-time, head-of-household, solo-mom-prenuer doing my best to raise a strong, confident, independent, and kind 3 year old girl in this wild world. So far, we're doing pretty well.... and largely due to the generous, loving, and supportive community of which we're a part. Despite the many socio-economic challenges that come with solo-parenting we've managed to rise above survival mode into our own humble version of thrival mode... tho not without leaning on local resources to assist us. 

Child care expenses challenge most families... and this has been one of the largest hurdles I've faced in motherhood. Being a solo mom means that I'm not only tasked with all primary caregiving responsibilities... but it also means I am the only adult responsible for the breadwinning for our family of two. The high cost of childcare makes balancing these two responsibilities near to impossible without the support of programs we have very fortunately accessed. Without the support of these programs, the cost of child care alone adds up to the exact wages I'm able to earn, netting zero or less than zero after a full day's work.  

Six months ago, I very accessed child care support through Changing Tides Family Services based on income eligibility. This support allows me to work full time in my three businesses (event planning, house-cleaning, air bnb),  as well as work part time for a local boutique Inn, earn income, AND covers  a good portion of Jamilah's full-time pre-school expenses ($895/mo). While a good portion of her care expenses are covered, I still pay up to $500/month out-of-pocket for private child care expenses when I work on evenings and weekends (during events), plus the monthly pre-school overages not covered by Changing Tides. These expenses are on top of our basic monthly living expenses.

IN the last couple weeks, Jamilah started a new school: Mistwood Montessori. The school has been around for over 30 years, and is rated highly for the quality learning environment and individually paced approach to academics. It is a three-year program that will take Jamilah all the way through Kindergarten. The spirit of the school matches our core values, and we are already friends with many of the students and parents. We are beyond thrilled to become a part of the Mistwood Community! 

Our Changing Tides child care support is guaranteed through February 2020, and then I will need to re-apply... there are no guarantees that we will continue to receive support for our child care expenses. In an effort to off-set the monthly overages I must pay at Mistwood, as well as to guarantee Jamiliah's continuation of schooling after February, I will be working diligently to ensure that her tuition is covered for the next three years. This crowdfunding is one avenue for the fundraising efforts I will be implementing in the months to come to ensure consistency in Jamiliah's pre-school thru kindergarten experience. I will continue to pay out-of-pocket for private childcare expenses beyond the full-time preschool schedule for my work on evenings and weekends..

I am requesting your help in one or more of the following ways:

1. Please make any-size donation to Jamiliah's Mistwood Tuition.($5, $10, $25, $500... contribute whatever feels right to you).

2. Consider sponsoring Jamiliah's pre-school thru kindergarten with a monthly contribution.

3. Please share this crowdfunding campaign to help us receive up to $70 from the FreeFunder platform. FreeFunder will donate $20 as soon as this campaign is shared 50 times. They will donate an additional $50 if the campaign is shared 500 times. 

Stay tuned for my creative fundraising efforts to come... and thank you so much for supporting Jamilah in her education, and for helping me to make Mistwood a possibility for us. 

In gratitude,

Alegria Sita AKA Jam's Mom