Our Story
Child Aid was founded on one simple idea: children need books.
Our founders discovered in the early 1990s that thousands of children in rural Guatemalan communities had no access to storybooks. So they formed an organization to do one thing well.
And for several years, we did. Child Aid delivered Spanish-language books to makeshift libraries in some of Guatemala’s most impoverished communities. And while it worked fine, it didn’t bring about lasting change.
Before Child Aid, children were showing up to schools that had so few books and learning materials that teachers pinned up old newspapers to the walls for students to see what printed words looked like.
Child Aid’s donations fixed this, making sure that there were colorful, age appropriate, Spanish-language books for students to read. The organization worked to provide at least seven books per student, stocking classroom bookshelves and school libraries.
It worked fine. Except, the books weren’t getting read, and the organization was not making a real difference…
Why?
Were children actually reading the books Child Aid delivered?
Thanks to Child Aid, students had plenty of books, but did they know how to understand and enjoy them?
Did students have the skills they needed? Were they reading these books, or simply thumbing through them to look at the pretty pictures? How was reading taught in these schools we were stocking with books? These questions kept us up at night, pacing the floor…
So, we acted! Beginning in 2010, Child Aid launched a comprehensive teacher training program to help educators teach reading, comprehension and critical thinking skills to children. And it really works!
It started small, setting up a local team of trainers and administrators. Then we worked hard to understand the mandates, guidelines and approaches that the Ministry of Education provided teachers. We brought in experts in literacy, pedagogy and cultural adaptation. We then wrote curriculum and created manuals, materials, and so much more.
As we grew, we built a model that could scale to new regions, adding more schools to the program each year.
This approach allowed us to add regional offices, increase and grow our staff, and make a lasting impact on elementary education in Guatemala.
The program in Guatemala is thriving, in 2024 we promoted our Guatemalan director to be Co-CEO, setting the stage for further growth and development of the program. The goal is that as the team grows and gains recognition, it transitions to a fully autonomous program, that in-country leadership can meet the demand, and manage updates and modifications to the curriculum to meet community needs. This would allow Child Aid to explore developing programs in new countries that could benefit from our training model.
“We’ve seen real change in the children around participation. When we use our imaginations in the classroom, the kids don’t forget those experiences.”
– Thomá Bocel Quisquina
Grade Five/Six Teacher, Xeseguan
Today, Child Aid has four regional offices, and is working with more than 100 schools and we are just getting started.
Child Aid teachers are using the books that started everything in their classrooms still. To date, Child Aid has delivered one million books to Guatemala, fiction books that pull students into their stories, non-fiction books that explore science concepts and teach history, geography and more. Also, the curriculum that we develop and supply to teachers is constantly evolving based on real-life feedback we get from teachers and directors (principals).
Plus, Child Aid teachers encourage kids to lean into their natural curiosity and gain confidence to ask challenging questions and seek answers — just like us. And this helps us sleep at night just fine.
“We look toward a future where every child in Guatemala has access to a quality education.”
Nancy Press, Ph.D
Co-Founder and CEO