Our House e-newsletter February & March 2012 | Page 12

by Sarah Ryder, VISTA Leader

When most people hear “CIA,” they think of tough people in
black suits running around to save the world. Well, here at
Our House, our CIA members are a lot like that, except for the
black suits.
Our House is grateful to have three AmeriCorps members
serving through the Community Initiative of Arkansas (CIA)
program. The AmeriCorps CIA members are definitely tough.
They spend their days engaging directly with c hildren in our
licensed child development center and our after school and
summer programs, developing curriculum, ensuring safety,
and implementing developmentally stimulating activities.
Bonnie Ford, Little Learners CIA Member
Our House offers a licensed child care program, Little Learners,
for children up to 5 years old. Our House is fortunate to have
two AmeriCorps CIA members serving in this program.
Bonnie teaches the toddlers. She is currently working on her
undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at UALR. Bonnie
describes her position as extremely impactful, and she is
constantly amazed at how wonderful it is to guide the children
in reaching important milestones in their development.
Erin Lett, Little Learners CIA Member
Erin teaches the 3- to 5- year-olds in Little Learners, focusing
on preschool readiness and curriculum planning. Erin graduated
from Philander Smith with her bachelor’s degree in Computer
Science. Erin was looking for a meaningful job that would allow
her to spend more time with her family and develop skills in
different areas of her interests when she found AmeriCorps. Erin
enjoys creating activities for the kids that are as educational as
they are enjoyable. Erin said that watching the kids learn and
progress right in front of her is one of the most rewarding feelings.