F2F Interviews
Meet Our Families &
Hear Why They Love F2F
Meet Michelle, Eddie, Ivette (7), Ariella (4), Victoria (2), & Nathaniel (3 mos)!
The Salcedos started coming to F2F almost 2 years ago, but it seems like they've been a part of the family forever! Since they began attending, their eldest has graduated all the way to grade school, and they welcomed their first baby boy into the fold. We are so grateful that they choose to spend their weekdays with us, and wanted to learn more about why they have continued coming all this time.Why do you come to Family 2 Family Connection?
Michelle: Because it’s a place where the kids can have fun. I don’t have to pay or worry about them getting lost or someone taking them. They get to play with other kids & build relationships really young. I also get to socialize with other moms!
Eddie: And it allows us to bond with our kids!
What activities do you do with your family outside of F2F?
Michelle: We go to the library, but since it’s so hot, we usually stay at home
What prevents you from taking your children to other places in Las Vegas?
Michelle: It isn’t realistic to take all of them to somewhere like the Discovery Museum every day. The library district also isn’t realistic because they won’t see the same friends, they get bored, they have to be quiet, and they can’t play. In the summer, it’s too hot to go to the park. They won’t enjoy themselves.
What do your kids like most about F2F?
Michelle: They like the activities, that they can learn for free, that there are different hands-on activities, they love interacting with the teachers, playing pretend, arts and crafts… their favorite part was the butterflies and learning the life cycle of the butterfly.
Eddie: And homework! Before it’s even a thing, they’re asking for it. They love doing new things. They mostly love you guys.
Michelle: They love that you interact with them and bring them into activities. When Miss Mei-Mei was working on the mural, Ariella loved that she was asked her opinions and got to add her ideas.
What do YOU like most about F2F?
Michelle: I made good friends here that I can trust & who I know will be long term friends. My kids get lifelong friends from that too. It’s not like in school where they make a friend and then forget about them in a new grade. They grow up with them and build a strong bond, then want to continue that strong bond.
How do you feel your graduate benefitted from F2F?
Michelle: It got her prepared for what to expect. They expect new activities, to learn numbers and letters, how to approach a friend… the center shows them how to make friends.
Eddie: They have high expectations on what a teacher should be. If every teacher in every school was like you guys, oh man. They’d love school.
Michelle: If they have a bad teacher, they’ll let us know because they know what’s good. They know who makes them comfortable and who doesn’t.
What would you tell someone considering coming to the center?
Michelle: It’s a fun place for kids to learn. That it’s free, they don’t have to pay because childcare is so expensive. They get to be with their kids and enjoy it. You can build strong relationships with your kids, other kids, their parents, and then make your own play-dates. It’s like a preschool, but without strict rules enforced on them. It’s play learning, imagination, all that stuff that builds their minds
Eddie: If parents are having problems, it’s a place for them to bond closer together over their children.
Michelle: It also shows the “main parent’ how much they’re doing for the kid
Eddie: My message for the dads, you're not too tough to spend time with your kids. Whether you have a son or a daughter, it doesn’t matter. Instead of having your wife come down, if you have the free time, come down. You won’t regret it, you’ll build your relationship with your kid, and it brings something out from inside of you. You won’t regret it. You’ll remember this as a dad. It’ll stay with you.
Meet Eunice, Mateo (3), and Lucus (1)!
Eunice has been coming in to Family 2 Family Connection regularly for over 2 and a half years! While she lives in the Silverado Ranch area, she drives to F2F almost every week. Let's learn more of why she comes in to the center!Why do you come to Family 2 Family Connection?
It’s a safe place for my kids to play, learn, and mingle with other kids.
Without F2F, how would you do family engagement activities in your community?
Just the park and the library. We used to go do Zoombini and have gone to the Silverado community center, but there were too many kids there.
What do your kids like most about F2F?
The sensory tables! That’s one thing they never miss out on. Everything else kinda changes. The giant tube on the wall is a frequent favorite. The cars and the babies are also frequent favorites.
What do YOU like most about F2F as a parent?
I just like the little environment. It’s structured chaos. I feel like they can be kids in this space, and everyone understands that it’s safe for them to have outbursts and learn together. No side-eye or anything like that.
What have you learned or grown from coming to the center?
I think, different ways to introduce the same topic so it isn’t redundant. That and also, we’ve learned in general how important music is for their age.