Escuelita del Alma is a learning center that provides quality childcare and instruction to young children ranging in ages from two months through five years. The educational curriculum the children receive includes daily child-centered and multi-sensory activities, but what sets Escuelita del Alma apart from other childcare centers is it’s multicultural approach and Spanish language immersion program. The children whom attend Escuelita del Alma receive an average of 90-95% Spanish language instruction throughout each day.

“Escuelita,” as its patrons fondly refer to it, is the first and only childcare center that operates in the heart of Austin’s downtown financial district. It’s location on Congress Avenue, enables the center to provide quality childcare for the downtown workforce. Its proximity with many of the high rise buildings gives those downtown employees the opportunity to visit their children who are enrolled at Escuelita throughout the day. It is common to see mothers walking across the street from their office to go nurse their baby during a work break or parents who take their child with them to lunch next door at Las Manitas. . It is also one of the few companies on Congress Avenue that is Latina owned.

As Latinas, the director and staff of Escuelita bring a unique type of care giving that is not customarily encountered at other childcare centers. There is usually more calor y amor from the caregivers, the type of care that only Latinas know how to impart. On a daily basis, the children of Escuelita enjoy singing and dancing traditional Latin American songs, fingerplays and circle games (rondas) that previous generations of latinos grew up with, like “El patio de mi casa” and “La víbora de la mar” (the latino version of “London Bridge is Falling Down”), while also learning basic readiness skills like the colors, shapes and numbers. The children also learn about and interact in traditional activities such as making piñatas or altar installations for día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) to remember and commemorate their deceased ancestors.

We know that today’s fast-paced society forces many families to consume fast-food or sandwich meals. The managements of Escuelita and its next door neighbor, Las Manitas Avenue Café, are committed to providing hot and nutritious snacks and lunches for the children, and, therefore, provide a balanced menu of meals that are cooked daily by Las Manitas’ staff.

This collaboration between Escuelita del Alma and Las Manitas has been in existence since the inception of Escuelita. Escuelita’s owner and director worked as office/financial manager for Las Manitas for many years, previous to founding Escuelita del Alma. Since her educational background is in the early childhood field, whenever kitchen or waitperson staff had difficulty attending work due to lack of suitable babysitters, the owners of Las Manitas would ask her to do the caregiving in the offices provided by the business. Eventually more and more children of the employees were in need of quality childcare within proximity of their parents’ workplace. When the business location next door to Las Manitas became available for lease, both Escuelita’s director and the owners of Las Manitas jumped on the opportunity to turn it into a fully licensed childcare center with capacity for children of other downtown employees.

Escuelita del Alma opened its doors in January, 2000, and now counts with approximately 100 children who attend at one time. Its families comprise a diverse and eclectic range of ethnicities, socioeconomic levels and educational backgrounds. The children, parents and staff add to the vibrancy of downtown Austin.