Bigyan is like most 2-year-olds - he's active and curious, with a love for learning.
Now, he and his mother have a home to call their own after living in a shelter for almost three years.
In young children, stress caused by poverty and homelessness can weaken the developing brain.
But Bigyan brought his big energy to Horizons for Homeless Children.
The friendly and fun-loving boy was three months old when he started at Horizons in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, moving to the Roxbury center about a year and a half ago.
"There's been amazing changes in him, and he's just such a bright, little light right now," said Laura Steiner, a family advocate for Horizons.
Teacher Dagoberto Guilarte has seen Bigyan's growth first-hand, along for the journey from the infant classroom to toddler learning.
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"They are, I think, parent for me, too," said Bigyan's mother, Bishnu. "His teachers are a second parent for him. I believe that."
Bishnu, moved to the U.S. from Nepal and found herself in a domestic violence situation. Horizons was there when she was ready to put Bigyan in daycare, go to college and find her new home.
"I feel Horizons is not just a place like you bring your child, you drop, and you go," she said. "I learn all my childcare, the parenting plans from them."
"Our staff are really sensitive to the needs of our particular families," said Steiner. "We, every day, try to just provide a very warm and stable and welcoming environment."
