In April 2020, the Arevalo family was blessed with the arrival of identical triplets! Three more girls, along with their first daughter who is 7 years old, keep mom, dad, and grandmother busy, with assistance from Family Focus Highland Park.
The Arevalos had only lived in Waukegan a short time when they learned about Family Focus. They raised their first child in Mexico, so they didn’t know about family support services available in Illinois.
Mrs. Arevalo recalls, “My cousin invited us to a party, but because I was close to my due date and could hardly move around, I had planned to not attend. The night of the party, my husband and I went to drop something off, and my cousin insisted we stay for a bit. I met a woman who asked how far along I was. We chatted, and she asked how I was going to manage buying so many diapers. She told me she was part of a home visiting program that assisted with diapers in Elgin. She took my phone number down and said she’d pass it along.
“Then one day, right before I was going to give birth, someone from Family Focus Highland Park reached out. I knew this would be a huge help. My husband was going through the immigration process to obtain his residency status and was working landscaping jobs. But because there were days it rained or was too hot to work, he wasn’t bringing home a stable income.”
Parent Educator Vanessa Ocampo started home visits with the family, bringing diapers and formula but also instructional materials and activities that support child development and parent learning. These visits will continue until the toddlers are 3 years old, making sure they are reaching their milestones, getting all vaccinations and health screenings, and supporting the whole family.
Vanessa says, “Since they started the program, mom and grandmother have been fully invested in the triplet’s development and needs. Every opportunity mom gets, she asks questions and wants to learn more about how to best guide and support all three girls.”
Mrs. Arevalo describes Family Focus as a lifeline for her family. “When we started the program, we were given items like cribs, mattresses, double strollers. Then when the pandemic started, the car parades (delivering supplies) helped a lot. We were given gift cards to grocery stores, food, activities for the kids, and during the holiday season, the kids received gifts.”
The Arevalos are so grateful! With the average cost of diapers for one baby at $75 per month, keeping three babies in clean diapers is just one of their challenges – $2,700 in the first year!
“Family Focus has alleviated a financial burden and has given us a sense of peace within our home,” Mrs. Arevalo said. “We don’t have to worry about where we will get money for diapers or formula. Knowing that we can use that money on other bills has put us at ease and we can spend more family time together.”