thrivelightsWhen a family new to Michigan wanted more time with their children, Thrive Lights helped them focus on priorities like involvement, income, and independence. The result was stronger family bonds and stability.
Prioritizing Family and Building Confidence in Michigan
A family of immigrants moved from Florida to Michigan with the hope of building a better life. Unfamiliar with their new state, they threw themselves into long work hours and left little time for their children. Since they had only one car, they relied on a nanny for childcare instead of driving their children to school. The decision made financial sense but left the parents feeling disconnected from their children’s daily lives.
A New Beginning in Michigan
When they decided to settle in Michigan, someone recommended Telamon. Registering their children at a Telamon center opened new opportunities, including access to the Thrive Lights (locally called Aspire) survey. For the first time, the family paused to reflect on what mattered most.
By completing the survey, they identified the areas they most wanted to improve: being more actively involved in groups, building skills to earn money, strengthening relationships with teachers and parents, and creating time for entertainment as a family. All of these indicators were yellow at first. They also prioritized increasing their income, which had been marked red.
With the SMART goal format, they were able to structure action plans around these priorities, choosing steps they believed in and could commit to as a family.
Steps Toward Change
Transportation was one of their biggest barriers. The father carried the full burden of driving, which often meant missing work hours. Over time, the family saved enough to purchase a second car, even though it had a standard transmission that the mother had never driven. At first, she was frustrated and afraid to learn. But when the moment came to pick up the children, she stepped up.
“The need and love for your children drive you to do many things, even move mountains,” she later reflected.
With practice and encouragement from her husband, she learned to drive confidently. This shift gave her independence, relieved the pressure on her husband, and allowed the family to balance work and parenting more effectively.
A New Chapter
As their confidence grew, the family began engaging more deeply in their children’s education and community. The mother attended parent-teacher conferences, encouraged the children to join sports teams, and graduated from the Abriendo Puertas program offered at the center. With two cars and stronger connections, the family could now support their children in extracurricular activities such as sports and band, which gave the children a sense of pride and belonging.
The Thrive Lights survey gave the family a framework to reflect on these changes. Indicators that had once been red or yellow were now green. More importantly, they could see how their own choices and perseverance created momentum.
“If you teach your own children, they will learn.”
Family First
This family’s journey highlights how Thrive Lights helps families step back, identify what matters most, and follow through with achievable goals. By focusing on both challenges and strengths, they built stronger bonds with their children, gained independence, and created space for joy and growth.
About Telamon | TRC
Telamon | TRC empowers families and disrupts the cycle of poverty by helping individuals build educational foundations, gain career skills, strengthen financial management, and secure affordable housing. With programs across multiple states, including Head Start early childhood education, workforce and career training, and housing and financial empowerment, Telamon partners with communities to create opportunities for families to thrive and build lasting legacies of success and well-being.