very season presents its own unique challenges for children, families and caregivers: as we move into the end of 2017, we’re addressing the needs of children during the coldest time of the year—and not only during the holidays.
Through our Good Night Bill of Rights, we are committed to advocating for and supporting our children 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, through all four seasons, in order to deliver our mission of Good Nights Are Good Days for all children. As temperatures are dropping, Pajama Program is raising awareness about the challenges during the winter season faced by the children we serve. Caregivers for children at-risk have always called on us in the winter to help keep children warm and comforted at night with new pajamas and storybooks, and once more we are working together to meet that need.
We know that the holidays are a vulnerable time for children who don’t have the stable comfort of home and family. What children really want during the holidays is to feel loved, and what makes the holiday season special for children is not the gifts so much as the traditions that create lasting memories. Children feel supported by simple rituals, which is what we help provide. Putting on a pair of pajamas and sharing a story before bed gives children living in transient situations a comforting routine, something to look forward to and treasure.
Families and caregivers at shelters who cannot afford gifts for their children feel pressure at this time of year. But giving a new pair of pajamas and a storybook to a child serves as a magical gift of unconditional love. Moreover, it is important that these pajamas and books are not hand-me-downs but brand new gifts specifically for these young people, who may not have much to call their own.
While the holiday season is important for the children we serve, it is also the time of year when people are feeling most generous. However, we are raising awareness that winter is just getting started when the holidays end.
People often think winter starts after Thanksgiving, but the winter solstice isn’t until December 21st. The months of January through March are the dead of winter. The days are short and dark, and many children across the country go to bed in places without steady heat throughout the night.
Volunteerism and charitable donations drop off after January 1st. In these early months, people have little-to-no time off of work and children are back in school. Having made their tax-deductible donation, most are no longer thinking about giving back. Meanwhile, there are new children entering shelters every day.
Pajama Program recognizes the ongoing need for support and continues with programming efforts so that, even when the holiday lights come down, we still shine a warm light for these children at night.
You can help give children at-risk the magical gifts for comforting good nights and optimistic good days this winter season.