Criminal Justice Major’s Volunteer Work Brings Her ‘Pure Joy’

Adjhani Benbow ’20, a criminal justice major and one of seven students serving at a local nonprofit as part of the University’s President’s Public Service Fellowship, is finding her work with the Connecticut Children’s Museum’s Creating Kids Childcare Center to be fun and fulfilling.

July 16, 2019

By Adjhani Benbow ’20

The Creating Kids Childcare Center at the Children’s Museum brings me nothing but pure joy when I walk through the doors in the morning. There are 20 kids, ages three to five, in the "big kid" room. They are split up by age: the three-year-olds are called the "spider monkeys," the four-year-olds are called the "toucans," and the five-year-olds are called the "tree frogs."

Each week, there is a theme that inspires the activities that the children take part in every day. This week, the theme is learning more about the author Eric Carle. The kids painted canvases different colors, later cutting them into shapes of animals, just like Eric Carle did for his illustrations.

The scheduled program for the day is different for each age group, since it caters to the ability of each group. Books pertaining to the themes are read to the kids during both snack times and during their lunchtime.

"Creating Kids is a great place to work, and I enjoy every minute of it."Adjhani Benbow ’20

My particular role is to help with any one of the groups when needed, sometimes filling in for one of the teachers if they are absent. The kids arrive between 8 and 9:30 in the morning and during that time they have free time. After that is circle time, where everyone sings songs and discusses the theme of the week. Then, they have their morning snack and take part in their themed programs. Later, they go outside for about an hour. On Fridays, the kids have time to enjoy the Children’s Museum. They are picked up by 5:30 p.m.

Each day is a very full day for the kids, but very rarely do I experience any difficulty with them. They are intelligent beyond their years and very well-mannered. Creating Kids is a great place to work, and I enjoy every minute of it. I love working with each and every child there.

The President's Public Service Fellowship places University of New Haven students in a nonprofit or public service work environment for eleven weeks during the summer.