BBI Stories: Meet Eve

Facing The Struggle

Spending 9 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a daunting way to enter this world.

That’s how Eve’s life began in August 2022. Born a few weeks premature, she struggled to feed and gain weight. But with a fighting spirit and the love and support of her mother Bonita, Eve was finally able to go home. When Eve was 7 months old, Bonita was ready to return to work, so she and Eve joined the BBI family in April 2023.

Hope Bubbles Up

Like many preterm babies, Eve was struggling to meet developmental milestones.

Bonita recalls that Eve was not picking up or grasping toys with her hands or putting things in her mouth like most babies her age. She also wasn’t turning her head when Bonita called her name. Early screenings showed that Eve was behind developmentally, likely a result of her preterm birth. Bonita was referred to an occupational therapist to work with Eve at BBI’s 4th Street Center. They worked on fine and gross motor skills like rolling a ball back and forth, reaching for objects, and turning pages in books. These exercises were also practiced in Eve’s classroom with the support of her teachers and at home with Bonita.

Occupational and speech therapy sessions can be taxing for a toddler, but Eve still loved coming to BBI every day. Bonita said, “Eve is always happy in the mornings. She walks right in and greets her teachers with a warm hug.” One of Eve’s favorite things at BBI is the farmer’s market where she’s grown to love fruits and vegetables.

Support Shines Through

“Parenting can be stressful at times,” said Bonita.

She finds support in the teachers, staff, and programming BBI offers. “I always participate in the Parent Cafes and workshops where you get to hear and meet other parents that may have the same or similar problems as you, and get good advice or tips that may be helpful as far as parenting and life altogether.”

This year Bonita is looking forward to joining BBI’s Parent Policy Council (PPC) — a group of Early Head Start parents and community members who help lead and make decisions about BBI’s program.

Continuing to Thrive

Bonita shared, “Eve is doing awesome, she has made so much progress… she is currently able to identify numbers 1-10, her alphabet letters, the sounds of the alphabet, her colors as well as shapes.

In fact, with just one year of early intervention, Eve’s development improved to the point where she is now advanced developmentally on BBI screenings. Eve receives individualized instruction based on her advanced needs through her teachers in the classroom. “BBI is an extraordinary child development center. Early intervention is awesome, and Eve is proof that early intervention works.”

The future is bright for Bonita, Eve, and the whole family. Bonita recently graduated from DC Infrastructure Academy and is starting an internship with Pepco in January 2025.