Guatemala is deeply rooted in local traditions that make the celebration of Semana Santa (Easter week) an important and colorful celebration. The big event for Easter in Guatemala is a parade which was not held for the past 2 years due to Covid restrictions but was joyously celebrated this year! Children usually do not receive gifts at Easter but special food is prepared this time of year. With your generosity, the teachers and staff at the Acorn Childcare Center gifted each family traditional egg yolk breads and chocolate to be able to celebrate together.
Many of our families are struggling with unemployment, poverty, in addition to Covid illness and fears of contagion, and are doing their best to raise their children in the midst of these challenges. The little moments of celebration are so need to bring hope and joy to their lives. Thank you!
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We started this school year with a new member of our staff team, Rosa Ester Vásquez. Rosa is a fully qualified preschool teacher with a degree in Pedagogy and Educational Sciences, and a wealth of experience working with young children. Seño Rosy ("Miss Rosie") brings a great deal of positive energy and creative ideas to her work. Her warmth and enthusiasm inspire children to learn and she has become a very valued and reliable. member of our staff team!
Unfortunately, in Quetzaltenango, Covid numbers are high and schools are all closed. While the Acorn Childcare Center has not been able to open for in-person learning, the students have been very busy with remote learning! Teachers send daily instructional videos and parents pick up material kits to do the activities together at home.
Recently the students had a lot of fun with traditional activities for Carnaval, a holiday celebrated before the start of Lent. In Guatemala there is a tradition that children dress in costumes and fill empty egg shells with confetti and seal with tissue paper to be thrown at friends in this bright, colorful festive day!
Read the full story with photos of the students on our blog!
We started this new year with great enthusiasm and joy, a strong sense of purpose and a deep commitment to promoting the well-being and development of the children who will be part of our Center. Already this month we have enrolled four new students. It is a delight to see their smiles! Although classes are still virtual for now, we can see their joy when participating each day.
We are also very excited to announce that Iliana Polanco, who has worked at the Center as a teacher for 16 years, is now our Director! She studied psychology at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala before becoming a preschool teacher. Omar Mejia will continue to work alongside Iliana for the next few months to ensure a smooth transition. We are incredibly grateful for all he has done for the Acorn Childcare Center for the past 11 years!
Click to read the full story & view photos on our blog
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Class of 2021 had a remarkable year! While remaining at home due to COVID restrictions, these eager students received supplies at home each week and successfully completed their lessons virtually, connecting with their teachers and with each other through videos and phone calls. We heard from parents about how weekly check-ins and monthly financial support got them through this difficult time.
The parents of our five graduates agree that the Acorn Childcare Center has prepared them for entering primary school in January. And because of your generosity on Giving Tuesday we were able to provide a traditional Christmas basket for each of our enrolled families and a few graduated families who needed the extra support this year.
Click to read the full story & view the photos on our blog
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Meet Ana, one of our new students at Acorn Childcare Center this year! Ana is 2 years old and lives with her 5 year old brother and both parents, Vanesa and Elmer, a couple that is a bit different than other families at the Acorn Childcare Center. They are a family that has more education and supposedly more job possibilities than many other families at the Center, but they fell on hard times during the pandemic and as a result sought our support. This is a clear example of how the pandemic has drastically affected the economy and livelihoods of so many families in Guatemala, hurting both the poor and middle class alike.
Vanesa and Elmer were both students slowly working their way through university but 5 years ago, when their son was born, they had to dedicate their time to finding work. Elmer works as an independent credit card salesman for the bank but has had months without sales or income as a result of the pandemic. In addition, due to the pandemic, Vanessa lost her job as an office assistant, and they suddenly found themselves in a very difficult situation trying to provide for their two children.
Vanesa and Elmer tell us that the food stipend they receive from our Center has been incredibly helpful for their family, allowing them to purchase nutritious food for their children. Vanesa and Elmer also love the online classes that Ana receives each day. The videos and lessons have been great guides for them as parents in how to engage with their children and help Ana develop many important skills before she enters school. Vanesa said, “We knew it was important to stimulate our daughter’s development but as we are not teachers, we had no idea how to do this. But with the methodology of the Acorn Center, we are able to support our daughter’s development and use these classes as a guide. We have noticed in this short time that Ana has significantly improved her vocabulary, her confidence, and she loves singing and dancing.”
The couple enjoy working together to help Ana complete the different activities and projects for her online classes. Ana has also benefited from seeing classmates online every day and creating connections with other children her age. Even though they have never met in person, she has created a bond with the other students and teachers.
Thank you for continuing to help us provide such important encouragement and support for this new family at the Acorn Childcare Center.
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