Education
Our Colegio Susanna Wesley Preschool is an essential part of Salud y Paz, fulfilling our mission to educate and prepare indigenous Mayan children to enter and excel in the Spanish-speaking public school system.
Salud y Paz has been offering a comprehensive early childhood education program to the children of Camanchaj since 2009. In an effort to not only meet the very present need of vulnerable children for good nutrition during the critical childhood development years, but to also offer hope for a better future, the school was formed to ignite their passion for learning and to offer them the tools that can create pathways leading out of poverty.
Our comprehensive pre-kindergarten to first-grade program seeks to address the whole child through a focus on three core areas: Language and Education, Nutrition and Hygiene, and Medical and Dental Care. Through our Language and Education component, the school teaches indigenous Mayan children who speak the K’iche language at home to speak, read, and write Spanish—preparing them to enter and excel in the Spanish-speaking public school system. Each school day students receive a nutritional breakfast and healthy snack as well as hygiene training and supplies that reinforce healthy habits through our Nutrition and Hygiene component. Our clinic provides the Medical and Dental Care component through regular medical, dental, and vision screenings, doctor visits, labs and medication at no charge to their families.
The school offers compassionate care and exceptional education through its approach to early childhood development as a partnership with parents and a service to the community. Operated by a bi-lingual Guatemalan staff who speak both K’iche and Spanish, the school has an average annual enrollment of about 50 students and an average class size of 15-18 students.
In addition to their presence and participation in meetings, trainings, and event planning, parents pay a nominal contribution per month for tuition. Tuition is waived for families who do not have capacity to make a financial contribution, however parent and caregiver participation is highly encouraged.
The life-changing impact of a Colegio Susanna Wesley education is not limited to the individual student but touches their families, reaches into their communities, and is made possible by generous sponsors who partner with us to provide education, nutrition, and healthcare to some of the most vulnerable children.
When a child is educated at Colegio Susanna Wesley, the student develops a proficiency in Spanish that gives them an advantage when they enter the public school system to start the second grade. They also share what they learn with their families, which in some instances has resulted in students teaching or enhancing their parents’ command of the Spanish language. The community is also impacted because with a solid foundational education, our students have a much better chance of going beyond elementary school, the average educational attainment achievement by their parents.
A child sponsorship at Colegio Susanna Wesley is a powerful way to partner with us to promote health, healing, and education among one of Guatemala’s most vulnerable populations—indigenous Mayan children. Your sponsorship supports our holistic approach to early childhood development—allowing us to address the whole child and offering Guatemala’s most vulnerable population access to a pathway out of poverty through education. Sponsor a Child at Colegio Susanna Wesley, now!