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We are excited that you are interested in joining our family at One Parent Scholar House!

Here, you’ll be part of a supportive community – a community of caring staff and fellow single parents working toward a better life for themselves, their families, and generations of their families to come.

We know that being a single parent can have challenges. You might feel alone, and without hope. But you’re not alone, and there is hope – and help. We’ve helped hundreds of single parents earn their education, provide great care for their children and become strong heads of households. Our staff and teachers are dedicated to our residents’ families and futures. We can help you too.

The first step to becoming part of our family is applying. Below, you’ll find our application and a list of supporting documents required. Once you’ve submitted your COMPLETE application, we will review it and a member of our staff will contact you to set up an interview, so that we can get to know you and see if One Parent Scholar House can help.

Rebecca, a former resident, said “One Parent Scholar House is home. They believed in me when my own mother didn’t.”

We believe in you, too, and we look forward to meeting you.

Dear Applicant:

We hope that you will fill out this application thoughtfully and return it to One Parent Scholar House with the other required documentation as soon as possible. After your application has been received, with your required documents, we will set up an interview with you. Before you can come for an interview, we think it is important that you clearly understand the mission of One Parent Scholar House. It is a self-sufficiency program for single parents who are full-time students in a post-secondary educational institution. “The primary purpose of the program is to help parents and their young children develop the educational and family life skills needed to achieve self-sufficiency.”

The basic criteria to enter the program are the following:

  • You must be a full-time student or have been admitted for full-time enrollment in a post secondary educational program that requires a minimum of one year to complete.
  • Applicants with a 2.5 GPA will be preferred.
  • You must be a High School graduate or have a GED transcript.
  • You must be 18 years of age.
  • You must be a single parent with primary custody of your child/children. Priority is given to families with a child who is childcare eligible.
  • Child must be enrolled in One Parent Scholar House Child Development Center if under the age of 3, if spots are available. Otherwise, they must be enrolled in another Child Development Center.
  • You must be eligible for Housing Choice Voucher Program
  • If applicable, you will provide divorce documentation (decree) to One Parent Scholar House.

The One Parent Scholar House self-sufficiency program is a comprehensive program which includes housing, child care, counseling, workshops, support from neighbors and staff, and special activities.

Housing: Our facility has 72-two bedroom, and 8-three bedroom unfurnished apartments divided into ten buildings. These apartments come under the Section 8 rent subsidy program. These apartments are only for residents participating in the program and their child/children. Non-residents may not live at One Parent Scholar House, which means, only you and your child/children may reside at One Parent Scholar House. Moreover, this transitional housing is for residents only as long as they are active participants in the program. Once accepted at One Parent Scholar House, a security deposit of $250.00 is to be paid at the signing of the leasing contract. Once residents have graduated, they must move on to other housing.

Child Care: The Prep Academy Child Development Center, managed by Community Action Council takes children from 6 weeks to 3 years old. The childcare center is a developmental program under the guidance of qualified, competent, and loving teachers.

Support Services: There is a caring staff at One Parent Scholar House to assist you in meeting your personal and educational goals and connect you with community resources. Each program participant is assigned a program coordinator who meets at least monthly with a resident to monitor their educational goals, program participation, and family functioning. You will be meeting with staff for other specific purposes, such as budgeting etc.

Workshops: There are monthly workshops led by experts who address subjects such as parenting skills, budgeting, problem solving, building self esteem, work skills, legal ramifications of being a single parent, health maintenance, etc. These workshops are given from the needs expressed by the parents living at One Parent Scholar House.

Resident Council: Every resident should belong to the Resident Council and attend the quarterly meetings. It is during this time that needs, wants, desires, and problems are discussed; fun activities and fund-raising projects are planned; and individuals are recognized for their accomplishments. The Resident Council is an important part of the life of One Parent Scholar House community.

As we tell all applicants, if you move into One Parent Scholar House, we become a major player in your life and you become a major player in the life of One Parent Scholar House. You will find that the staff cares deeply about you and your child/children and they will be as supportive as possible, encouraging you to grow and feel good about yourself and the future of you and your child. You will find that there’s a great deal of support among the residents and certainly an understanding by them of the problems faced by the single parent in today’s society.

If, after reading the above, you are no longer interested in applying to the One Parent Scholar House Program, please let us know. If you are interested, return your application and supporting information to One Parent Scholar House. Then you will soon receive a phone call to set up an interview time with the Admissions Committee.

Please complete the application and return it with the information listed below to the One Parent Scholar House office. Your application will not be considered for interview unless it is completed and accompanied by the supporting documentation and letters.

You may return the application by mail or drop it by the One Parent Scholar House office. The address is 1156 Horsemans Lane, Lexington, Kentucky, 40504. The office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you have questions, please call the office at (859) 252-4828.

After having received your completed application and information, we will call you to arrange an interview with the One Parent Scholar House staff. Acceptance into the One Parent Scholar House program is based on eligibility, motivation, and need for services. The date of admission to the program will be based on availability of an apartment, and entry of your child into the Child Development Center. There is a complete list of required documents for admission at the end of your application.

You may submit your application before providing all of your documents; however, you will not be considered for an interview until all documents are received and your application is complete. As we receive your completed application and all supporting documents, you will then be contacted for an appointment to meet with One Parent Scholar House staff.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call us. We are looking forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

One Parent Scholar House Staff

 

One Parent Scholar House does not discriminate in the selection of residents on the Basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, or handicap.

The Prep Academy at One Parent Scholar House Child Developmental Center managed by Community Action Council takes children from 6 weeks to 3 years old. The Center’s hours are from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. If you have a late class (or work) later than the Center’s hours, it is your responsibility to find someone to pick up your child by 5:00 p.m. Please inform the Child Care Center’s Manager of such scheduling conflicts.

Your child must be enrolled in the Prep Academy at One Parent Scholar House Child Developmental Center until age 3 if there are spots available, or at another Child Development Center if not, and must attend regularly. You are encouraged to take an interest in the Childcare Program by visiting your child in the Center, asking questions, and participating in classroom meetings/activities, Parent/Teacher conferences.

The Program is set up for the child’s interests and what young children need to learn and grow. As young children learn through play, our curriculum models are based on learning centers and interactive play. This means:

  1. Messy activities – so you need to dress your child so they can get “dirty”.
  2. Going outside every day that it’s not too cold or too hot, or raining.
  3. No child will be excluded from activities that the rest of the class are doing.
  4. Children will be challenged, but not pushed to do skills they do not have the readiness skills or maturity to handle them.
  5. Children who are sick cannot learn and need to stay home. Children with temperatures of 100 degrees or who show signs of contagious illnesses will be sent home.
  6. You must leave a contact number that allows staff to contact you in case of illness or injury.

If you would like more information before making a decision whether the Child Development Center is the right place for your child, talk with the Community Action Council Early Head Start Pathway Specialist, visit the Center, and ask to review the Prep Academy Early Childhood Excellence Parent Handbook

Questions to Ask:

  • What hours and days are you open?
  • How much does day care cost?
  • Is financial assistance available?
  • How many children are in the Center?
  • Which classroom will your child be in?
  • How many children does each adult care for?
  • Ask the Teacher to describe other children in her class. (If she/he uses negative words, she may be negative toward your child too)
  • How are age groups divided up?
  • Do you provide meals? (breakfast, lunch, snacks)
  • Do you have a license, accreditation or other certificates?
  • What type of training and education do the Teachers have?
  • How do you discipline?
  • When can I come and visit?

Visit the center at least 2 – 3 times, particularly at stressful times of the day (i.e. when children are being picked up and dropped off). Stay as long as you can to see what is happening.

Trust your instincts about a person (the Teachers and Center staff), because you will be forming a

partnership with them to care for your child.

Look for responsive, nurturing, warm interactions between the Teachers and the children. Do the Teachers like and enjoy the children, or are they trying to just get through the day?

Are the teachers warm and caring? Children who are happily involved in daily activities and comfortable with their Teachers. Look at the relationships between the Teachers and the children. A parent can begin to judge the quality of that relationship just by looking at how a Teacher greets the children.

Look for a clean, safe, and healthy indoor and outdoor environment.

Look for a variety of toys and learning materials, such as books, puzzles, blocks, and climbing equipment that your child will find interesting and which will contribute to their growth and development.

Making the Decision – Ask yourself:

  • Will this Child care program allow my child to be happy and to grow?
  • Can the Teachers meet the special needs of my child?
  • Are the Teachers values compatible with my family’s values?
  • Do I feel good about my decision?

Stay Involved.

Can I arrange my schedule so that I can:

  • Talk to the teachers every day?
  • Talk to my child every day about how the day went?
  • Visit and observe my child’s Center at different times of the day?
  • Be involved in my child’s activities?

Ask questions:

  • How can I work with the Teachers to resolve issues and concerns that may arise?
  • How can I keep informed about my child’s growth and development while in child care?
  • How can I network with other parents?

These steps are only the beginning. Gather as much information as possible to help you find the best care for your child.

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