Educate Communities in Puerto Rico Today

What you have done in Puerto Rico:

Because of your generosity, students, families, and educators across Puerto Rico continue to experience the transformative power of Montessori education every day.

We would like to share with you three stories that reflect the impact your support is making possible.

In the mountain community of Aibonito, students at Escuela Montessori SU Pasto are learning lessons that extend far beyond textbooks. Through the Huevos Girasol project, children care for a chicken coop with more than 20 laying hens, learning about responsibility, environmental stewardship, and food sovereignty through hands-on experiences.

When asked what they have learned, the students simply say: “We learn to care for the chickens, to care for nature, and to produce our own food.” These experiences help children understand that they are capable of contributing to their communities today, not someday in the future.

Your support also strengthens entire families.

Yinda Nieves, mother of two students at Escuela Montessori Juan Ponce de León in Guaynabo, shared what the school community has meant to her family. She described arriving at the school and immediately feeling welcomed, valued, and embraced.

“From day one, I felt the embrace of a family,” she shared. “When we arrived, we felt appreciation, affection, and I said, "This is where we need to be.” Today, Yinda and her husband are active volunteers who continue to support the school community that has helped their daughters discover new talents and grow with confidence.

Perhaps one of the most powerful reminders of the long-term impact of your investment comes from Ricardo Vergel Negrón, a graduate of Puerto Rico's public Montessori system.

Today, Ricardo serves as a Budget Analyst for the Maryland Department of Budget and Management. Reflecting on his educational journey, he shared that Montessori education helped him discover his strengths, understand his role in society, and inspired him to pursue a career in public policy. He believes the values and experiences gained through Montessori education continue to shape the way he serves others today.

These stories may come from different communities and different stages of life, but they share something important in common: each one was made possible because someone like you chose to invest in educational opportunity.

At Instituto Nueva Escuela, we often say, "School by school, a better Puerto Rico." Thanks to your partnership, those words become reality every day. You are helping create schools where children thrive, families find belonging, and young people grow into leaders who contribute to the well-being of their communities.

Thank you for believing in Puerto Rico's students and for walking alongside us in this work. We are honored to share these stories with you because they are, in many ways, your stories too.

With gratitude,

The Instituto Nueva Escuela Team

• Historias_de_Transformacin.pdf (PDF)
  

Las primeras etapas de la vida son decisivas para el desarrollo humano. Es en esos primeros años donde se establecen las bases del aprendizaje, la autoestima y la relación con el mundo.

Por eso, una de las apuestas más importantes del Instituto Nueva Escuela ha sido fortalecer los ambientes Montessori para Infantes y Andarines dentro de las Escuelas Públicas Montessori a las cuales servimos.

Entre 2020 y 2025, estos ambientes de edad temprana han experimentado un crecimiento significativo, ampliando el acceso a experiencias educativas que respetan el desarrollo natural de los niños desde sus primeros años.

En estos espacios, los infantes y andarines aprenden a explorar, moverse con seguridad, comunicarse y construir independencia dentro de un ambiente cuidadosamente preparado.

La evidencia educativa es clara: cuando invertimos en la primera infancia, reducimos factores de riesgo en la adolescencia y en la vida adulta.

Niños que reciben acompañamiento adecuado en sus primeros años tienen mayores probabilidades de:

• desarrollar habilidades socioemocionales sólidas
• mantenerse vinculados a la escuela
• tomar decisiones responsables en la adolescencia
• convertirse en adultos que aportan a sus comunidades

Invertir en edad temprana no es solo apoyar a los niños de hoy.
Es sembrar las condiciones para comunidades más justas, seguras y prósperas en el futuro. Y cuando hablamos de inversión nos referimos también a su tiempo, a su conocimiento y a compartir con otros lo que haces en apoyo a la misión del INE que se traduce en fortalecimiento del ofrecimiento a las comunidades escolares para su pleno desarrollo.

Gracias a su apoyo, cada vez más familias en Puerto Rico pueden acceder a estos espacios de aprendizaje que acompañan el desarrollo humano desde el comienzo de la vida.

Links:

• Conoce mas sobre la labor del INE