Gracie's Room Project at Xinxiang
We hope to start renovations at the Orphanage shortly, to to do this we need raise some additional funds. The cost of renovations is close to $7500. That includes building a bath room, changing wiring, putting in two tubs, flooring etc,. Also includes wood flooring for Gracie's Room, heating, wiring and plumbing, air conditioners (3), washing machine, hot water heater, sterilizers. Installing mirrors and railing around the room, supplies and music for the room. The orphanage does not have a proper bathroom at this time for bathing the children and most of the laundry is done by hand. We also need funds for the salaries of the nannies who will care for the children. The cost will be a further $360 a month for wages.
How Gracie's Room came to be:
Gracie's Room is the home of First Hugs. Gracie Reilly was adopted from Fuling in April, 2002, and sadly passed away in July, 2004. Her family and friends donated funds to FKI which were used to renovate and outfit Gracie's Room as a home for the First Hugs program both in the existing orphanage and in the new orphanage. We feel that there is no better way to honor Gracie than by hugging babies in her room everyday.
Gracie's Room is funded by a group of adoptive parents from around the world. It is an infant nurture program. Based on Half the Sky's Baby Sisters program, designed to provide infants with extra attention and stimulation. Specially trained nannies work with 3-4 infants for 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. Infants receive loving attention from their special nanny and have the chance to develop their muscles through floor time.
In most orphanages including, the normal staff to child ratio is at least 10 to one. Infants spend most of their time in cribs, bouncy seats or walkers. This lack of stimulation can result in delays to all areas of development. Infants need to be held. They need to spend time on their stomachs and sitting up to develop core muscles. They need to be talked to by adults for language development. They need to have a chance to reach and grasp for toys to develop fine motor skills. This is why we started Gracie's Room.
Gracie's Room nannies work with only 3 or 4 babies and with the same babies everyday, six days a week. This encourages an emotional attachment between the baby and her nanny which is critical to reduce the risk of attachment issues later in life. The nannies work with their babies three hours in the morning, return them to their regular room during mid-day for nap, and then work with them again for three hours in the afternoon. During Gracie's Room time, the babies are being played with and held. They do not spend any time in walkers, but have a chance for tummy time on mats, stand at the mirrors using our special railing, and play with stimulating infant toys. All of this would not be possible without donations and volunteers.
How Gracie's Room came to be:
Gracie's Room is the home of First Hugs. Gracie Reilly was adopted from Fuling in April, 2002, and sadly passed away in July, 2004. Her family and friends donated funds to FKI which were used to renovate and outfit Gracie's Room as a home for the First Hugs program both in the existing orphanage and in the new orphanage. We feel that there is no better way to honor Gracie than by hugging babies in her room everyday.
Gracie's Room is funded by a group of adoptive parents from around the world. It is an infant nurture program. Based on Half the Sky's Baby Sisters program, designed to provide infants with extra attention and stimulation. Specially trained nannies work with 3-4 infants for 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. Infants receive loving attention from their special nanny and have the chance to develop their muscles through floor time.
In most orphanages including, the normal staff to child ratio is at least 10 to one. Infants spend most of their time in cribs, bouncy seats or walkers. This lack of stimulation can result in delays to all areas of development. Infants need to be held. They need to spend time on their stomachs and sitting up to develop core muscles. They need to be talked to by adults for language development. They need to have a chance to reach and grasp for toys to develop fine motor skills. This is why we started Gracie's Room.
Gracie's Room nannies work with only 3 or 4 babies and with the same babies everyday, six days a week. This encourages an emotional attachment between the baby and her nanny which is critical to reduce the risk of attachment issues later in life. The nannies work with their babies three hours in the morning, return them to their regular room during mid-day for nap, and then work with them again for three hours in the afternoon. During Gracie's Room time, the babies are being played with and held. They do not spend any time in walkers, but have a chance for tummy time on mats, stand at the mirrors using our special railing, and play with stimulating infant toys. All of this would not be possible without donations and volunteers.
