In the United States and other parts of the developed world, many of us begin attending school at the age of three or four in a joyful pre-school environment. Classrooms are filled with colors, shapes, books, toys, songs, crayons, etc. These happy days become a part of our childhood memories and the foundation for our social references and future goals.
In Guatemala, the situation is starkly different. Guatemala is a country of breathtaking volcanoes, verdant hillsides, tight-knit families, traditions and pride. It also is a victim of civil war, hunger, prejudice, poverty and ignorance. Generally speaking, Guatemalan children do not begin their schooling until the age of six or seven, and few attend past 6th grade. Many stop their studies by 2nd grade, and others never attend at all.
Public schools have as many as 50 students in one classroom, with only one teacher. Absenteeism is alarmingly high among public school teachers, and when absent, children are left unsupervised. The average wage for these marginally-educated Guatemalans is between 2-10 dollars per day.
Cambiando Vidas is a non-profit school located in Pastores, a suburb of Antigua, Guatemala. The town is known for its handmade boots, coffee processing and susceptibility to being flooded during winter rains. It is a tight-knit town occupied by generations of hard working people who earn 10 dollars per day or less.
The school in Pastores sparkles with excitement.. Class sizes are small and there is always a teacher for each class and most classes also have an assistant teacher. Creativity and self-expression are encouraged, and artwork covers the walls. They are joyful places.
Some facts about Cambiando Vidas:
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Cambiando Vidas is a bilingual school, teaching English and Spanish, and has recently celebrated its fourth anniversary.
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Janette Cuellar de Reyes, the program director, donates 100% of her time to Cambiando Vidas: this demonstrates her personal dedication and commitment.
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Cambiando Vidas in Pastores has secured all of the necessary paperwork and is a Nationally-recognized educational institution.
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The mayor of Pastores, has granted Cambiando Vidas a 25-year cost-free lease for the property where the new school is located.
If this beautiful country is ever going to emerge from this cycle of violence, it needs to graduate strong and caring leaders, who understand the poverty of their people, because they have come through it. We want these men and women to have a deep sense of self, and pride in their cultural heritage. We must give them the critical-thinking and creative problem-solving skills, to lead their people to "a new way of being."
September 7, 2008
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter on behalf of the Association Cambiando Vidas. This program in the community of Pastores, Sacatepequez, Guatemala offers the exceptional support to children and parents. Despite the scarce resources available to the staff, they provide exemplary service that equals or surpasses that of educational programs that I, as a professional in the field, have observed in the United States and elsewhere.
I became acquainted with Cambiando Vidas during my working visit to Antigua this past summer. My initial conversation with Janneth Cuellar, the Association Director, awakened my interest in the program’s goals and approach. Further conversations with Mrs.Cuellar and the program staff at the school confirmed my initial impression of the outstanding value of their work.
Cambiando Vidas is devoted to promoting children’s educational achievement, providing a bilingual (Spanish and English) learning environment, reinforced by the empowerment of their parents. It is based on a comprehensive approach which is faithful to the cultural needs of this rural Guatemalan community while at the same time it elevates parents’ values and aspirations so that they give high priority to their children’s educational accomplishments.
In the classroom, the teachers, whom I observed to be capable and dedicated, guide the children through a developmental curriculum that is sensitive to, and builds on, students’ individual differences. In conjunction with the learning experience in the classroom, two psychologists visit the children’s homes regularly, and work with parents on various activities related to the school while at the same time providing guidance regarding children’s development, family nutrition, physical health, and other relevant topics. Cambiando Vidas deals skillfully with children’s and parent’s current needs while at the same time keeping an eye on the longer term goals and building a path step by step for them to succeed.
At present, Cambiando Vidas serves preschoolers and kindergartners. They hope to expand the grade offerings to enable the current group of students to complete elementary school while enrolling others into the younger grades. The Director has already received expressions of interest from bilingual high schools in Guatemala to enroll the graduates from Cambiando Vidas when the time comes for their secondary education.
As a university professor and a clinician in the field of child Development, I have devoted many years to studying and teaching about children’s development and education. Very seldom have I come across a program that so effectively promotes children’s own abilities and learning as does Cambiando Vidas. The fact that it has blossomed in a fairly remote, Guatemalan town lacking the resources of a more privileged setting is even more remarkable. Cambiando Vidas has already had an impact on my life. Because of the ability and dedication of the director and her staff, whatever contribution made by those of us who support their efforts will be multiplied many times and lead to significant changes for children and their families in Pastores.
Let me close this letter by mentioning that a significant part of the success of Cambiando Vidas should be credited to the endless efforts and enthusiasm of Janeth and her staff. Working with them is truly inspiring!
Sincerely,
Martha Julia Garcia-Sellers, Ph.D
Assistant Professor and Senior Research Scientist
Another letter from Prof. Sellers
Tufts University
School of Arts and Sciences
Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development
April 9, 2011
To those interested in supporting and learning about Cambiando Vidas,
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter on behalf of the Association Cambiando Vidas. This program in the community of Pastores, Sacatep6quez, Guatemala offers exceptional education to young children while supporting their families. Despite the scarce resources available to the staff, they provide exemplary service that equals or surpasses that of educational programs that I, as a professional in the field, have observed in the United States and elsewhere.
Cambiando Vidas is devoted to promoting children's educational achievement, providing a bilingual [Spanish and English learning environment, reinforced by ongoing empowerment of their parents. It is based on a comprehensive "home-school connection" model that is faithful to the cultural needs of this rural Guatemalan community while at the same time elevating parents' values and aspirations so that they recognize the importance their children's educational accomplishments.
In conjunction with the classroom learning experience, psychologists visit the children's homes regularly and work with parents on activities related to the school; they provide guidance regarding children's development family nutrition, physical health, and other topics relevant to the family's welfare. Cambiando Vidas deals skillfully with children's and parents' present needs while at the same time envisioning longer term goals and building a step-by step path for them to succeed and, one hopes, pursue higher education.
I became acquainted with Cambiando Vidas during my working visits to Antigua. My initial conversations with ]anneth Cu6llar, the Association Director, awakened my interest in the program's goals and approach. Further conversations with Mrs., Cu6llar and the program staff at the school confirmed my initial impression of the outstanding value of their work.
Since my initial contacts 4year ago, l have become more involved with Cambiando Vidas and during the last 3 years I contribute consultation and participate as a member of their Advisory Board. Every year I look forward to my trips to Antigua with the expectation of hearing about their recent accomplishments and anticipation of participating in different program activities. To date I have advised on educational planning, curriculum and psychological services with the children and families; I have also provided training workshops on academic content and special pedagogical needs in the classroom to improve children's school adaptation and refine teaching practices.
Speaking of recent accomplishments, I would like to call attention to how skillfully Mrs. Cu6llar and her staff have handled the expansion of Cambiando Vidas. Their exceptional dedication has been rewarded with vigorous support from De Casas a Hogares and multiple donors who made possible the construction of a beautiful building with facilities to accommodate students from preschool to 6th grade.
They started with a group of preschool children, most of whom are now enrolled in 2nd grade, while 3 new cohorts are attending the preschool, kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms. This has required hiring and training new teachers and a school principal. These changes have been accomplished while taking into account all the details required to achieve a successful transition faithful to the program's mission to offer high quality education to children and support to their parents.
Of all the activities that I have been involved in, I enjoy classroom observations the most. It is a true pleasure to watch the teachers, whose abilities and dedication I admire, as they guide their pupils with extraordinary skill through a developmental curriculum that is sensitive to, and builds on, students' individual differences. In conjunction with the basic learning content required for each academic grade, teachers expose students to a variety of arts and extracurricular activities that instill collaboration as a primary social value. As I witness students in the process of realizing their learning potential, creativity and intellectual curiosity, I recognize that this is a true reflection of their teachers' masterful efforts.
Earlier this year, I visited Cambiando Vidas accompanied by two colleagues who are renowned pediatricians, Drs. Berry Brazelton and Josh Sparrow, from the Touchpoints Institute at Harvard's Children's Hospital. Their eyes glowed watching at the children and their accomplishments as much as their recognition of the degree of commitment of the directors and teachers. Afterward, Dr. Brazelton sent as a remembrance two paintings he had made
inspired by his visit to Cambiando Vidas.
As a university professor and a clinician in the field of Child Development, I have devoted many years to studying and teaching about children's development and education. Very seldom have I come across a program that so effectively promotes at school and at home children's own abilities and learning as does Cambiando Vidas. The fact that it has blossomed in a fairly remote, Guatemalan town lacking the resources of a more privileged setting is even more remarkable. Cambiando Vidas has already had an impact on my life. Whatever contribution made by those of us who support their efforts will be multiplied many times and lead to significant changes for children and their families in Pastores.
Let me close this letter by mentioning that a significant part of the success of Cambiando Vidas should be credited to the endless efforts and enthusiasm that Mrs. Cu6llar, teachers and staff have promoted in the community of Pastores as well as all the caring donors who have made
their dreams possible. Cambiando Vidas is truly inspiring!
Sincerely,
Martha Julia Garcia-Sellers, PhD.
Assistant Professor and Senior Research Scientist
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