Head Start Student Finds Her Voice

posted 6/9/23 -- Mila Sclimenti found her voice at LaGrange Head Start and now she’s on her way to kindergarten.

“Mila didn’t start talking until she went to school there,” said her grandmother Jeannie Sclimenti. “Those teachers have worked with her and brought out her little personality which is so cute.”

Jeannie was concerned Mila would struggle both academically and socially. Jeannie and her husband Vito care for both Mila and her younger sister Journee as well as their own 15-year-old daughter Natalie.

“Mila stepped out of grandma’s car on the first day with a smile that lit up the room,” said teacher Justina Morgan. “We welcomed her into our classroom family with the same amount of love and hugs that we welcome all of our students with. I could tell from that moment that she felt safe and trusted us.”

Jeannie is grateful for the support as she navigates her own health issues while working to get her granddaughters the services they need.

“I know she needed that socialization and I was hoping someone would assist me,” she said.

Morgan said Mila wasn’t afraid to make friends or communicate and it didn’t take long to understand her.

“Like with all students, once you get to know them you start to understand more of what they are saying,” Morgan said. “You pick up on little clues that they give you such as their tone and expression, their hand gestures, you watch their eyes and read their lips.”

Mila’s hard work has paid off in improved communication and fine motor skills as well as participation in large and small group activities.

“She’s a little sponge and picks up on more than we think most days. She doesn’t let her barriers affect how she functions in the classroom environment. She’s such an inspiration to all of us.”