In late 2024, CentroNía hosted its first Community Pillars Lunch with community leaders in the Washington metropolitan area. With a focus on affordable housing, we were able to have great conversations on how to best garner support to continue to help reinforce affordable, high-quality childcare as an essential pillar of a healthy, successful society and the need for affordable housing, which is a main concern for the families we serve. CentroNía friends Theresa, Gabriel, and Sara joined our Development Team and President & CEO, Myrna Peralta, for a collaborative dialogue on how childcare and affordable housing align in our efforts to create stronger support systems for families.
We enjoyed a meal of chicken, vegetables, salad, and wheat bread prepared by our very own NíaCentral kitchen, which provides fresh, healthy, and well-balanced meals for all CentroNía early learners as well as other childcare centers in the area. Over a bite to eat, we were able to express that at CentroNía, we are aware of how the lack of affordable housing impacts our families. It’s an important concern that often forces parents to make the difficult choice between safe housing and high-quality childcare for their children.
Gabriel, a Legislative Affairs Analyst at National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) - the nation's leading affordable housing and community development advocate - expressed
“The connection of CentroNía’s work to affordable housing is seamless. Many people would like to live in the community that they work in. For working families, safe and affordable housing goes hand in hand with access to affordable childcare. There’s clear overlap between families that could benefit from access to affordable housing and affordable childcare. It is to everyone’s benefit for these two areas to be considered together for long term mutual benefit of the larger community”.
By supporting CentroNía, donors are not just investing in early education but various aspects and services of the organization that help children and low-income, working families have a lifetime of success. Services along with our early childhood education program like our Food and Wellness, Family Engagement Center, and our CentroNía Institute holistically improve long-term outcomes for children, families, and the community. Through resources such as nutrition classes for parents, out-of-school programming, and professional development opportunities through the CentroNía Institute, our families have many ways to get the support they need to live successful, healthy, and active lives.
Our Community Pillars Lunch serves as a great tool in reaching the broader community. CentroNía has upheld its commitment in providing affordable high quality early childhood education and care for over 38 years, but we did not do it all on our own. We need the help of community pillars to join our mission as we believe that together, we are stronger. Working together gives us the opportunity to raise funds to continue our mission in educating children and youth and strengthening families, in a bilingual, multicultural environment. With our first Community Pillars Lunch, we were able to start an important discussion on how to better help families in our communities receive better access to affordable housing. Affordable housing can be a day-to-day concern for the parents we serve along with making sure their children receive the best education and care possible. As they go to work and their kids are at school, it’s imperative that these families not only trust that their children are in the best care but also have a safe and happy home to go to at the end of the day.
These lunches are a chance for us to focus on the various ways we can help these families. As we begin our series of Community Pillars Lunches, each gathering will focus on the many fundraising campaigns and initiatives our organization puts on. Ensuring that those in need receive the help they need in more than one avenue, from early childhood education and care, food and nutrition education, and more.
Stay tuned to CentroNía’s blog as we’ll share details of our Community Pillar Lunches and the progress we make for the low-income, working families in our area.
Interested in learning about our guests? Click or read below!
Gabriel Smith, Legislative Affairs Analyst at the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO)
Sara Hayden, real estate development consultant, former real estate finance attorney specializing in affordable housing and community development, and founder of Vita Cooking School LLC (launching in Winter 2025), focusing on personalized cooking lessons and culinary coaching for lifestyle changes and wellness
Theresa Ramsaroop - M&T Bank Assistant Vice President Branch Manager