Zora* is like many mothers—she wants to create a great life for her children. Unfortunately, she’s faced a lot of hurdles that make her simple goal far more difficult than it should be. A single mom of two, Zora has struggled to find affordable childcare, making it difficult to find stable employment. Further complicating her situation, her young son has autism spectrum disorder. Fortunately, she learned of Fortress Preschool and everything changed.
“My mom actually told me about Fortress,” said Zora. “I found out that since we’re a low-income family, we could come for free. There was a waiting list, but soon we got the call that we could enroll.”
Located in Fort Worth’s Historic Southside neighborhood, Fortress Preschool provides full-day early childhood education for children as young as six weeks on a sliding scale so moms can afford to work. Its programs focus on academic, social-emotional and spiritual support with the goal of helping families overcome barriers to financial stability and break the cycle of generational poverty.
Zora admits she encountered challenges when her children first started at the school as her son attends therapy regularly. Due to her nontraditional work schedule, she found herself scrambling to pick up her children from Fortress in time to get him to his session.
“It was hard,” she remembers. “But then Fortress said [my son’s] therapist could meet with him there, and that made things a lot easier.”
Zora also received another bonus because of her relationship with Fortress. She learned about a teacher’s assistant position opening at the preschool, applied and was hired. She is now earning a child development associate credential that will allow her to earn more and put her on the path toward a long-term career in early childhood education.
“I always wanted to be a teacher, and especially after seeing how much Fortress helped my kids, I applied because I realized I could help other kids the same way.”
Zora’s success story is just one of many that was made possible by Fortress’s mission to build bridges from poverty to promise. In 2024, United Way of Tarrant County’s Women United network awarded a $45,000 grant to the nonprofit school to reconfigure two existing empty classrooms and install sinks in them, increasing infant and toddler capacity by 100% and preschool capacity by 64%. The grant was announced at the UWTC’s annual Women United Investing in Impact luncheon.
For just $500 annually, you can join Women United in its commitment to empower women and girls in Tarrant County. Help us celebrate our collective impact at our fifth annual Investing in Impact Lunch on May 8, where we will award grants to local nonprofits that align with our mission to champion programs that educate and uplift those in our community. Tickets are on sale now.
*Name has been changed.