Owner: Angela Garcia
Escuela Viva Community School prepares students to learn by building positive attitudes
Eight years ago Angie Garcia had an idea about how children should be gently guided into the learning experience. Today that plan is yielding outstanding results.
Portland, OR — Sitting at a work table, the site director and owner of Escuela Viva explained what made her school different. A quiet hum of children talking to teachers filled the room.
From out of nowhere, a four-year-old girl with a wide smile ran up and laid a huge bear hug on Angela Garcia — or Angie, as most of the staff at Escuela Viva call her.
Just as quickly as she arrived, the four-year old was off to resume her current project. Garcia didn’t react as if that display of affection was anything unusual.
A glance at Garcia’s business card explained the flash encounter. “Healthy Spirits, Open Hearts & Active Minds” the card promised.
The basic premise of Escuela Viva sounds simple — but totally logical. Why would any school ignore such a basic premise?
“Happy children are ready to learn,” Garcia observes. “It’s important to have a nice, first educational experience to make them love learning.”
Garcia emphasizes the importance of emotional stability: “If it’s difficult for a child to manage their emotions, how difficult would it be for them to learn?”
In short, Escuela Viva aims to provide “a safe nurturing environment” conducive to success in life.
A search for a school
The concept of Escuela Viva came from both Angie Garcia’s educational background and a bit of necessity. When her daughter came into the world eight years ago, Garcia found herself in an odd position. “I worked part time and I had a part time nanny,” she recalls. Active children are not only healthier, but also more social.
The part-time job came from her master’s degree in social work — helping families that had experienced child abuse and domestic violence. Garcia decided that when her daughter was old enough, she would enroll her in a pre-school program where she could interact with other children.
Garcia began looking around Portland for a school for her daughter. “I was looking for a program that would nurture her spirit and provide a bilingual environment. The truth is that I just couldn’t find it,” she recalls. “So I started this.”
“This” — in its original form — was Angie, five children and a remodeled basement. By 2010, Escuela Viva had expanded to a school with seven full-time staff members plus four part-time employees at three sites. By autumn 2010, Escuela Viva moved into a larger building in Southeast Portland, consolidating all the staff and children there.
Financing an expansion
Success has its price: many students but not enough room. In spring 2010, the school was operating simultaneously at three locations. “It was getting pretty cramped for space,” Garcia notes.
Thus, a search ensued for larger quarters in which she could combine all of Escuela Viva’s operations. After some searching, Garcia located a site with 12,000 square feet of space.
Setting up a new center — and moving equipment — demanded some quick capital. Fortunately, Garcia found Mercy Corps Northwest — MCNW — and Albina Opportunities Corporation — AOC — who provided her with the funding she needed after traditional lending resources proved non-existent. AOC contributed the majority of the loan funds and MCNW took a smaller share and agreed to service the loan.
Both MCNW and AOC actively look for chances to help well-run minority businesses to expand. They have teamed up on several other projects in Portland. For details about AOC’s program, call Terry Brandt at (503) 227-3950.
Brandt, Executive Director of AOC, takes pride in helping Garcia’s forward-looking school. “Not only does it provide children with a unique educational opportunity, but it has created and will sustain living wage rate jobs in our community,” Brandt observes.
Enrollment at Escuela Viva had reached almost 70 by mid-2010.
Escuela Viva currently has three programs:
- Infant to Toddler: In the toddler group, Escuela Viva teachers are responsible for no more than four children.
- Pre-school: two-and-a-half to four years old. The teacher/student ratio is no more than 10 to one.
- Pre-kindergarten – Kindergarten: The teacher/student ratio is no more than 10 to one.In the classroom at Escuela Viva Pre-school or outside, children learn the value of sharing and cooperation.
Placement is not rigidly set by age, but by development.
Garcia reports that applications have been flying in. “We’re filling fast,” she says. “I don’t think we have many slots left.”
“We’re in the midst of hiring,” she reports. Garcia is looking for teachers with a minimum of two years education training, proficiency in both Spanish and English, and one year experience at the appropriate age level.
For more information about Escuela Viva, visit the school’s website or call (503) 282-2091.
In an interview, Garcia says, “We try to make a good fit between what the parents want and what we offer.”
That fit seems to be as comfortable as a favorite shoe — and ready to step into the future.
For more information about Albina Opportunities Corporation,
call Terry Brandt at (503) 227-3950.