Life-changing preschool in Guatemala

A new year has started at the Acorn Childcare Center. We are welcoming back some familiar faces from last year and are helping some new children to feel part of this caring community.

One of these children is Fernando, who turns three next month.   He lives with his mother and 5 other relatives in a small rented house, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) away from the Center. Their community is very rural so they have to walk quite a bit before they can access public transport. Fernando’s mother, Cinthia, became pregnant when she was 16 years old before she had finished high school. Her boyfriend left when he learned that she was pregnant, so Fernando has never had any relationship with his father.

With the help of her grandmother, Cinthia finished high school and graduated from the public college with a teaching degree for preschool. Although it is her dream to work as a teacher, it has been hard to find work locally and she found a job selling school supplies. She works 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, so she has very little time to share with her son. 

Cinthia applied to the Center because of recommendations from families of former students. She urgently needs childcare while she works long hours and she is very excited to have this opportunity for her son to get a good start on his education. 

From his first day, Fernando adapted very easily to the routines at the Center. He behaves very well and is very happy because he has found new friends and enjoys having so many activities that are appropriate for his age and interests. Cinthia and her grandmother, who brings him to and from the Center every day, are very happy and filled with hope for his future. 

Because of your generosity we are able to give young students like Fernando André a better start despite their economic and family difficulties. Thank you!

Children’s Day, celebrated in Guatemala at the start of October, is always an important occasion at the Acorn Childcare Center. Our staff planned carefully to make sure that it was a day that felt special and made all the children feel loved, appreciated and joyful.

From the moment the children arrived, there was a feeling of excitement in the air. Our teachers explained to the children that this was their day and that everyone was celebrating them! After breakfast, they dressed up in their favorite costumes and had a dance party.

For snack, they had a special treat: ice-cream! Afterwards they enjoyed an interactive puppet show which made them giggle and laugh out loud. They had a specially prepared lunch of roast chicken with french fries — a treat that they loved.  Our rest area was converted into a cinema for the afternoon and they curled up all cozy under their blankets and watched a movie together.  At the end of the day, each child was given a toy, wrapped up as a gift, to take home.

For children who have had being growing up in the harsh realities of extreme poverty and violence, this day was a joyful celebration that brought laughter, encouragement, and hope. Thank you for your support and for making joyful moments like these possible for our children

Thank-you to your support!

We have been able to continue to provide loving care and attention for children and families battling extreme poverty.  Jacob is a 2 year old boy who recently arrived at the Acorn Childcare Center. Jacob lives with his mother and grandparents. His mother works long hours at a stationery store to be able to provide food and basic essentials for Jacob and for her parents. She had previously paid somebody whatever she could afford to look after Jacob, but he had been very neglected. He wasn’t getting enough to eat, and when he broke his arm falling out of a bed, his mother knew she needed to find him a better situation.  She heard from a relative that the Acorn Center was a safe and caring place for children. From his very first day, Jacob was really happy to be with children his own age. He really enjoys the nutritious meals at the Center and is growing stronger. He plays very well with the other children and has learned to share and to be considerate of others. Having Jacob at the Center is an enormous source of encouragement to his mother and she is so grateful. Jacob now has a safe place to play and learn and grow, and they have a caring community of support around them. 

Thank-you so much for your part in providing that for them. 

Dear Friends,

As always, we are so grateful for your continued support of the Acorn Childcare Center in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. On behalf of the children, parents, staff and board of directors, we are incredibly grateful for your continued financial support and trust in the work that we do.  

The chldren of the Acorn Childcare Center are receiving a high quality early childhood education.  We are truly breaking the cycle of poverty and violence, one child at a time.

Check out the beautiful photos of:

• Children celebrating their mothers for Mother's Day, Birthdays, and dressing up in costumes for a children's day celebration
• Playing with puzzles and learning about the different types of transportation
• Eating nutritous meals and learning about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables.

We hope you enjoy seeing these amazing children learning and growing with the love and support of great teachers and staff to help change the cycle of violence.

With love,

Rachael, Zoe, Barrie, Omar, Cara and Collette

This past month, my family and I travelled to Guatemala to visit the Acorn Childcare Center with two other families. It was a profoundly moving experience for all of us.  As always, we were touched by the warmth, openess and friendship of the children and families at the Center. 

One of the children, Millie, aged 9, who went on the trip with her family gave this beautiful report on her return.  I thought our community of supporters would like to hear about her experience.

From Millie:

"We did so many amazing things in Guatemala. We saw tall volcanoes and steep cliffs and deep lakes. We saw how to turn little red berries into hot cups of coffee, how to turn bitter cocoa beans into rich, sweet chocolate, and how to turn cotton on a tree into a colorful scarf. But the most amazing thing we saw were the children at the child care center, and the people who take care of them. 

I made friends at the center, especially two little girls named Valeska and Monce. They are so cute and so happy, which is kind of amazing because they are also very poor. Often the children’s whole families live in a home that is half the size of my room. Some of the children, like Valeska, have no one to care for them. All of the families live on less than three dollars per day.

But the teachers at the child care center play with the children and feed the children and teach the children and love the children and support their parents and families too. It really changes their lives.

And it changed our lives too. Because now we want to do everything we can to help Valeska and Monce and all the children at that center......and I hope you will too."

Thank-you for all the love and support you give! 

With love and thanks,

Rachael Rhude, Founder