Programs

Cuidando los Niños offers three primary programs that work collaboratively in order to achieve our goal of ending family homelessness in the Albuquerque area: our Children's Program, Family Support Program and Play Therapy. In order to address the causes of homelessness and to support the family as they deal with the effects of their situation, we must effectively treat the whole family unit. By providing nationally accredited childcare, individualized family resource and referral, and a highly qualified play therapist, we are able to provide an all-encompassing, strength based approach that can change the lives of the children and families that we serve.

Here's a program-by-program synopsis of the services that we provide:

Children's Program

Our Children's Program consists of high quality early childhood care and education. We have three classrooms, each of which focuses on a different age group, in order to ensure developmentally appropriate environments and activities.

The Infant Room devotes its energy to caring for our youngest children, aged six weeks to eighteen months of age. In this setting, the children receive individualized childcare, with each of the four teachers in the classroom focusing their attention on a maximum of four children at a time. We maintain the highest standards in the field as described by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Zero to Three, and Early Head Start.

The Toddler Room hosts our "middle-aged" kids, those eighteen months to three years of age. As with our Infants, the Toddler Room follows the same strict guidelines that govern best practices, and we maintain the ratio of one teacher to four children at all times. In the classroom, children are introduced to age appropriate activities, including art, music, movement, literature and socialization activities.

The Preschool is dedicated to the three to five-year-olds. Because these children have reached a higher level of development and social skills, we are only required to maintain a ratio of one teacher to nine children. Even so, we usually have four teachers in this classroom with 20 children, providing care, support, education and guidance. In the Preschool, the children engage in a wide variety of activities such as dramatic play, water exploration, gardening on the playground, and exploration of the arts. At the same time, they are preparing for Kindergarten and beyond, with language and literacy activities and teacher-assisted development of social skills.

Common to all of our classrooms are the Volunteer Grandparents who provide a multigenerational experience for our children, many of whom do not have a stable, caring grandparent figure in their lives. The Grandparents, all participating in the City of Albuquerque's Foster Grandparents Program, hold, rock, talk, read and sing with the kids, while providing a positive, loving influence.

Family Support Program

Our Family Support Program is focused primarily on assisting the families we serve in their efforts to end their personal cycles of homelessness. By providing comprehensive, individualized resource and referral, our Family Support Advocates are able to help our clients find housing (either temporary or permanent, depending on the immediate needs of the family), employment, and job training and education using an extensive network of collaborative contacts within the social services and private sectors in Albuquerque.

Additionally, our Family Support Advocates work with local healthcare providers to obtain services for our families in order to address issues that may exacerbate their situations, such as issues relating to mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence, among others.

Our Family Support Program also provides for the basic healthcare needs of our clients' and their entire families through our Health Services portion of the program. We work with Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless (AHCH) to provide a weekly on-site health clinic that meets the needs of the families through direct services or referrals. AHCH addresses the general health, mental health and dental needs of the children and families we serve.

Play Therapy Program

Our play therapy services are provided by a highly qualified therapist. Many of our children are dealing with traumatic events in their lives. Play therapy gives them the time and space to process these issues in a safe, secure environment. The play therapist also works with the teachers on how to help children grow and develop in a healthy manner, and collaborates with community mental health agencies and experts.

Program Support

Our Program Support department includes our award winning Volunteer Program, which provides over 5000 valuable hours of community support per year, valued in excess of $25,000 per year. Volunteers can help out in a variety of ways, from providing childcare to maintenance to community representation (for more information, click here).