By Shana Clatterbuck

For The Herald Bulletin

ANDERSON — The room echoes with shouts of “We’re all one family!”

But the words don’t come from a mom and dad, brother and sister. Instead, they come from a group of unrelated children whose lives are filled with unknowns and plagued by “what ifs.”

The children are in the Kid Connection program of Alternatives Inc., the residential facility for Madison County women and children who fall victim to domestic violence or homelessness.

Many of these kids are from households at or below the poverty line. According to the Indiana Youth Institute, 23 percent of those ages 18 and below in Madison County lived in such homes in 2007. Statewide, the IYI says, the comparable number is 17.1 percent.

The effects of poverty pervade a child’s life.

“One recurring theme is very low self-esteem,” said Dean Dube, a children’s case manager at Alternatives. “Everyone around them belittles them. They feel like they’re always taking handouts and sometimes that their parents aren’t good enough.”

Children who live in poverty can have unpredictable moods because of the lack of stability at home. Kelli Riggins, a teacher in Anderson Community Schools, noted that teachers often can tell from a child’s behavior whether there is a problem outside of school.  

“For some children, school may be the only stable thing in their lives and a place to feel safe,” she said.

A safe environment for edcuation

Kid Connection is an extension of that safe environment. It’s an after-school program for elementary-age children who stay at Alternatives or Dove Harbor, another local shelter. It operates Monday through Friday during the school year and daily during the summer months.

The kid-friendly environment enables the children to feel carefree and at home, which is something they may not experience while staying at the shelter.