Our stories

Jed* is three years old and lives with his Mum, Donna*, at a special ‘mums and bubs’ correctional centre in Queensland.

The two share a close bond, and he loves our regular Playgroup program, where he gets to play with other children and engage in fun activities. 

While Jed and Donna are so happy they are together, she didn’t want him to miss out on making new friends and developing his skills, so she enquired about enrolling him in a local daycare. 

Donna was so happy when the local daycare accepted her enquiry and said they had space for him! 

But then came the next part, how to get him to and from daycare. 

Donna reached out to the SHINE for Kids team and asked for help. 

While not one of our usual programs, the team knew how important it was that Jed was able to attend daycare.

Together, the whole team pitched in to figure out the logistics. 

Our team member Jess said, “When Donna* first asked me, I knew I wanted to help.”

“We made a few changes and worked as a team to help make the work car available to support the child attending the school.

“When Donna* first asked me, I knew I wanted to help.”

“It feels great to support such an important part of the child’s development.”

Jed knows the SHINE for Kids team very well from Playgroup and already feels comfortable around them. Donna added us to her call list so we could always chat when he’s on the move to check-in. 

“Donna was over the moon when we told her we could support the transport!” Jess said.

“He is a social child; she feels this will be great for his development.”

“He was very excited and gave the staff member a big hug!”

It’s taken a little extra work, but it’s been worth it to see the look on Jed’s face when he heard he’d be going to daycare! 

“He was very excited and gave the staff member a big hug!”

Staff at the centre have helped with the enrollment process, and we look forward to watching Jed go on this new adventure.

Names and images have been changed to protect participant privacy.