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Help CentroNía Welcome Autumn!

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When Nicole needed an extra hand, CentroNía opened its arms.


Meet Nicole: A CentroNía Mom

Four years ago, Nicole found herself in need of childcare for her twin girls, Kalimah and Safiyah. Trusting her girls in someone else’s care was a difficult but necessary choice. Her husband already worked full-time, and she struggled to balance the needs of her twins and her work for a local organization supporting low-income DC residents.

Taking the plunge, Nicole began her search for an early childhood center she could trust. She found CentroNía on a list of top-rated early childhood education providers in Washington, DC. When she came to visit, Nicole knew right away that CentroNía was the right place for her children and family. The love and care CentroNía staff showed her family quickly helped Nicole feel comfortable with her decision. And when her family welcomed the birth of her youngest son Ismael two years ago, she was happy to see how inviting CentroNía staff were toward the new addition.

“There was never any doubt that this is where I wanted my son,” Nicole reflects. “To anybody that brings up they’re looking for childcare, CentroNía is always my recommendation. Always.”

As a community organizer, Nicole has had her hands full these past eighteen months: ramping up mutual aid work, helping set up a new food bank program, and connecting vulnerable people with the resources they need in this time of heightened need. Knowing her children are well cared for at CentroNía gives Nicole the peace of mind and flexibility she needs in order to best serve vulnerable DC residents.

This is especially important now as her family begins to navigate some big changes: their youngest daughter, 10-month-old Yara, just started care at CentroNía for the first time. And Kalimah and Safiyah are now Kindergarteners at a local public school!

“[Moving to a new school] was strange,” says Nicole. “The twins had been at CentroNía since they were 18 months old. Now they’re five and in a completely new place.”

Luckily, it hasn’t taken long for the family to get into the new swing of things. One key factor that has made this transition easier is CentroNía’s Studio ROCKS program, where Nicole and her husband have decided to enroll the twins for after-school care.

“We wanted to make sure the twins didn’t feel completely separated [from CentroNía] so quickly. They were excited to be at a new school but hesitant about not seeing familiar faces and being away from their brother and sister. They needed reassurance and connection to the people who had been a part of their lives all these years. Studio ROCKS was a very easy way of keeping them connected.”

“I know CentroNía is the place I want my children,” Nicole says. “It will continue to be the place we choose for our little ones.”

When you invest in early childhood education, you invest not only in a child’s wellbeing but in the wellbeing of an entire community.  As we continue to face the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and quality early education and care become increasingly out of reach for too many children and families, CentroNía is more important now than ever before.

Your donation today is an essential contribution to the future of our community. You can help ensure that CentroNía continues to be a safe, supportive place for children to learn and families to thrive. Help welcome early learners and their parents back to our centers today by making a gift to CentroNía!



Main Photo Credit: Charles Parker, Pexels