1. 20 - Children in shelter Ages 8 months – 16 years
2. 8 - elementary school students – attending 5 different schools
3. 1 - middle school student
4. 2 - high school students
5. 1 - in treatment at a behavioral health center
6. 3 -children continue to attend their home school while in shelter
7. 4 - children transferred to Elgin School district when coming into shelter
8. 2 -bi-lingual class students
9. 3 - pre-school children

This morning 6 toddlers and pre-school children played with puzzles, blocks, dolls and the workbench while mothers attended a meeting.

After the meeting 2 mothers remained with their children in the playroom, allowing the children to play for another half hour.

This afternoon 10 children watched a video about domestic violence and then talked with children’s staff about their experiences, learning that other children have had experiences similar to their own and that the violence in their home is not their fault. “Hands are for helping, not hurting” and “You can make my angry, but you cannot make me hit you or call you names” are 2 of the statements that help children understand that they are responsible for their own actions, but cannot change the behaviors of other people