WAITING FOR DANIEL
For one former drug dealer and dropout, the journey from DC streets to GED is slow.
Washington, DC—At 6:30 a.m. Daniel Childs opens his eyes and lifts his head from bed with hopes to rise above what he calls his "consistency problem." The temperature outside is exactly freezing. Without a car, it will take the 21-year-old more than an hour on the bus to reach his first week of GED orientation class, with transfers in the icy wind. The two-bedroom apartment he shares with an aunt and two cousins is silent. The room is dark. He is so far from what he hopes to become, and with change comes the possibility of failure. So many reasons to lie back down. Two months ago, Childs walked into the DC ReEngagement Center searching for help. There, he found Dana Simpson, an intake counselor with a permanent smile who greeted him with a hug.
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