AACC is a non-profit 501(c)3 - Would you like to help?
Don't forget to come to the Fall 2012 fundraiser
Programa Integral Educando con Amor y Tenure (PIEAT)
PIEAT is a program based on grassroots relationship building and principals of democracy using early childhood care and education initiatives. A home visitation program, which is a foundational for the program, provides unique opportunity to develop relationships with members of the community. In order to give ample opportunity for the development of these relationships PIEAT receives solicitations from communities in the Jalapa Valley. Once selected each family is visited a minimum of 8 times. The emphasis on early childhood care, development and education, breaks through the challenges of political and economic inequalities that are frequently present. Information about how to increase the health of the family, how education is important for their quality of life and for breaking through cycles of oppression is shared through home visits as well as local workshops. In addition, collecting stories from elders starting a written history of the people of the Jalapan Valley, and weekly story hours / play groups for children PIEAT provides unique opportunities for the local villages and barrios of Jalapa to increase the quality of life.
PIEAT's areas of focus
Early childhood education
The goal is to provide learning opportunities for parents, teachers, young women, and community leaders in early childhood education. They hold story hours and other play groups for children in the villages.
Health
PIEAT teaches and models ways of healthy living for children as well as the entire family. They promote respect for children and ways to keep them safe from neglect and abuse. This is provided through hands on learning opportunities while visiting mothers and other primary caretakers through a house-to-house visitation program.
Child Care
PIEAT constructs early learning facilities and primary schools. PIEAT gives classes to parents and youth during after school house. A nurturing, safe, and stimulating environment is created for children and adults to play and learn.
Community Services
PIEAT helps the communities to organize using their limited resources. This has partially been accomplished through the development of a council of 18 organizations who are involved with children as defined by the United Nations. Organizations in this council include, but are not limited to, the municipality, the Red Cross, OYANCA (a safe house like organization), the public schools, the health clinics and hospitals, and Save the Children.
Leadership and democracy
PIEAT's foundation is built around the fundamentals of democracy. Leadership and democracy workshops, seminars, and other educational opportunities are provided.
Vitamin program
Currently PIEAT serves 1005 children ages 6 months through 5 years bringing multi-vitamins each month to their family. The vitamins have been donated by Vitamin Angels.
Global Therapy Project
A group of therapists from the Boulder Community have provided on-going training and supplies to PIEAT so that PIEAT can support families with children with special needs.
Dental Therapy
PIEAT is now trained in dental hygiene and care. When visiting local communities they hold dental clinics and workshops sharing information on daily dental health, maintenance, and filling small cavities and providing extractions.
Daily work
PIEAT members work 25 to 30 hours per week. Once a week each member holds a minimum of one story hour, visits 16 homes, presents one workshop in each of 12 different communities, works in the local hospital or clinic, gives work shops in the casa maternal (prenatal care) and visits the child care centers and schools. They are paid by fundraising and private donations. 100% of your donation to the PIEAT goes to the support of PIEAT members, educational materials and books, and/or food for the children in the centers. We try to give PIEAT members a stipend each month and pay for their transportation fees. This requires an annual budget of $20,000. Educational centers are only available in a limited number of communities. PIEAT would like to provide educational facilities as well as educators for these centers. Each center costs approximately $35,000 to $40,000, and provides school for 120 children age birth through 8 years. It addition, educational facilities provide learning centers for parents. We are currently working with the Ministry of Education on preschool bilingual programs.
