Confetti art? Sign me up!
As CHILDREN AT RISK interns toured House of Tiny Treasures, smiles spread wide across the children’s faces. Some played in the grassy yard while others took to creating masterpieces out of glue and tiny pieces of confetti. Laughter filled the site, and creativity ran rampant.
Observing the toddlers create confetti art, I began to think: The children at House of Tiny Treasures are similar to the confetti. They are both bright, vibrant, and small; but more specifically, they require glue to maintain the structure and support they need to develop and grow. House of Tiny Treasures is that glue. It is a haven for the homeless children in Houston. While their parents work, look for jobs or complete schooling, the children come to a place where they can learn and develop in a positive environment.
Texas accounts for 5% of the nation’s homeless population.[1] Of this population, nearly 25% are children under the age of 18.[2] To address this shocking tragedy, House of Tiny Treasures actively provides services to 30 children living in homelessness in the Houston area. The program’s mission is to assist families in attaining and maintaining self-sufficiency by providing excellent educational and mental health services to children.
As an accredited childcare facility, House of Tiny Treasures provides high quality early education to its children throughout the year. Furthermore, the program offers nutritious meals and interactive lessons in art, play, and speech. As a result, the children gain developmental and cognitive skills, which prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.
House of Tiny Treasures operates under SEARCH Homeless Services, a nonprofit organization that provides services to the homeless population of Houston. In addition to House of Tiny Treasures, SEARCH offers another program called Mobile Outreach, which allows volunteers to go out into the community and offer services to the homeless on the streets. The SEARCH facility also provides access to and assistance for laundry services, day shelters, meals, telephone, health clinics, and employment training.
As SEARCH continues its efforts, through programs such as House of Tiny Treasures and Mobile Outreach, more homeless people will find the jobs and services they need to become self sufficient. Less and less children will be homeless, and more and more confetti will find their glue.
Becca Johnson is a Summer Intern at CHILDREN AT RISK. She is a rising senior studying Plan II Honors and Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. Becca wanted to intern at C@R to influence change in child policy and gain experience in legislative research and advocacy. She hopes to pursue a future career in education law and policy.