Americas Association for the Care of Children

Americas Association for the Care of the Children (AACC) is the brain child of Debbie Young together with 2 friends that have been in the child care field for almost 30 years. AACC is a non-profit, 501(c)3. It is the umbrella organization for Programma Integral Educando con Amor y Tenura (PIEAT). PIEAT is currently a group of 7 women working in the Jalapian Valley to lift their communities through their interpersonal and highly personal program. Together they, AACC and PIEAT, have also built 2 schools in the past 2 years. The hope is to continue building a school a year, well, forever. In the past 2 years, PIEAT and AACC have also started working in the community of La Chureca in Managua. La Chureca is the largest landfill in Managua and home to about 1500 people.

Over the past 5 years together AACC and PIEAT have developed a sustainable and progressive response to Nicaragua’s 2004-2014 National Goals set forth in the

For five years we have taken over 350 initial surveys and have visited over 600 homes sharing education and health information to families and communities, constructed and opened five schools (2 more are in the works),  

The plan contains five fundamental components.

1.     House to house visits: To bring education to the community about: the effects of poverty and actions they can take to reduce the impact, basic hygiene, preventative health information, knowledge of child development, brain development, social emotional development, and community development.

2.     Community workshops: To bring workshops on a variety of topics which include; child development, brain development, temperaments of children, best evidenced-based practices for the care of young children, patio gardens, fuel efficient stoves, literacy skills, and basic hygiene and preventative health practices. Community leaders, parents and teenagers of the community attend. Story times are given to children in the community.  Stories are read aloud, cooperative parachute games are played, role play and simple theatre skills are used to encourage compassionate social development, physical exercises such as yoga are practiced, and preventative health practices are taught.

3.     Educational Centers: To construct community education centers which house infant and toddler classrooms for childcare, community meeting spaces for education programs, primary classrooms, health clinics, and libraries. Child Care is identified, as one of the major concerns in the Jalapa Valley during a three-year needs assessment taken throughout the Valley. There are many children left unattended during the day time hours and/or attended by other very young children who could be attending school if child care was available for the younger children.  Preparation and training for teachers is also provided on an on-going basis.

4.     Community Networking: To connect community groups working with children organize and work together to help increase the quality of the future of all its members sharing the limited resources available.  Currently PIEAT work with many local organizations including OYANCA, the various Ministries, the Municipality, Red Cross, ADRA, and foreign based NGO’s organizations such as UNICEF, ISLA, ACEI, and ProNica.

5.     Democracy and Peace: To support and expand the understanding and practice of democracy within the family.  PIEAT promotes peace and democracy by learning non-violent strategies for conflict resolution, knowledge and skills in social emotional development, peaceful strategies for family and community development.  Our hope is to increase people’s compassionate responsiveness action.