Malta House moms Diana and Richie have a new weekday routine. After rising from bed extra-early, packing a lunch and dropping their babies off with a kiss at our onsite nursery, together they make their way to Cornerstone Medical Training Center in Fairfield, where both are training for a career in healthcare.

Diana is studying to be a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). After graduating, she will be qualified to provide direct care and daily living assistance to patients in hospitals, nursing homes and residential facilities. 

She chose the program, she explains, because she enjoys taking care of people. “I enjoy the patients,” she says with a big smile. “I dedicate my time to feeding them and helping them with everything involved in their rehabilitation and improvement of their health.” 

Richie is working toward a Patient Care Technician (PCT) certification. PCTs provide patients hands-on care and also perform clinical duties such as drawing blood and conducting electrocardiograms (EKGs). The appeal of that focus, she says, was gaining skills and experience in a variety of areas, and the opportunity to work at a hospital rather than a nursing facility.

“I’ll gain lots of knowledge and I’ll be working with different people every day,” she explains.

Their schooldays are bookended with trips using public transportation: the Wheels2U ride-share service, a Metro-North train, and a brisk walk. 

The sight of both women, clothed in hospital scrubs, returning to Malta House at the end of the day and flushed with the cold and excitement in what they are doing, has become familiar. 

Both moms expressed gratitude for Malta House providing childcare, which allows them for now to go to school and, eventually, have a paying job. 

What’s it like going to school full-time while having a young child? “It’s fun, chaotic and motivating at the same time,” Richie responds, with a laugh. “Like being in a circus, but one that you really love.”

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Thank you for supporting our moms with hope and a hand-up filled with opportunity and a brighter future!