What We Do
Creative Education
In 2010, the Puerta Abierta opened the first creative, nonconventional school in Santiago Atitlan. Our staff has designed an innovative curriculum that embraces art, discovery and exploration. We host preschool through 6th grade at our center.
Traveling Library
The traveling library is the community outreach project of the Puerta Abierta. Participating local schools receive a visit from an enthusiastic librarian from our center on a weekly basis. While children benefit from exposure to reading and interactive activities, classroom teachers learn how to incorporate literacy into their class curriculum.
Reading Circles
The reading circle program offers a safe place for preteens and teenagers to come together and discuss a book that they are reading as a group. With time and guidance, our teens develop skills to think critically about the literature they are reading and to relate books to their own lives.
Mothers' Artisan Group
The Mothers’ Artisan Group provides a dignified form of income for the mothers of our students while enhancing their personal creativity and promoting a sustainable income generation for la Puerta Abierta. Our mothers design handmade products, most with a focus on childhood whimsy such as finger puppets, holiday ornaments and cuddly toys. All profits collected from the sold artisan products return to the scholarship fund at la Puerta Abierta. Shop for Mothers’ Artisan Group products.
Garden Club
The garden club provides our students and the community at large with an opportunity to participate in the magic of organic plant growth. Both children and adults alike marvel over the process of a seed transforming into a plant when they have the occasion to slow down, dirty their hands and be close to nature. In addition to offering our students and families an authentic experience to grow and taste their own food, the club also engages students in a variety of academic subjects from animal habitat to medicinal plants to real-world math concepts like measurement to literary concepts like writing garden inspired Haiku poems. Equally as important, our garden presents students with an outdoor space where they can engage in unstructured play with contact to their natural world.
Professional Development
La Puerta Abierta offers a variety of workshops to educational institutions throughout the country on themes such as the importance of play in early childhood education, creative story telling strategies and best practices for reading fluency and comprehension.
Libros Abiertos
Story Hour
The Puerta Abierta Story Hour program is an initiative dedicated to fostering a love for reading among children in the community. It takes place on Saturdays in the organization’s library and is designed to create a space for literary exploration through storytelling, creative activities, and interactive dynamics.
Reading Circles for Girls and Women
Our Reading Circles for Girls and Women are gathering spaces where reading becomes a powerful tool for empowerment. Through stories that reflect identity, autonomy, and female leadership, we foster critical thinking, dialogue, and the building of support networks among participants of different ages.
In each session, we share books that inspire, raise awareness, and strengthen the confidence of girls and women as protagonists of their own stories. As a complement to these circles, our Feminist Library offers a specialized collection of literature written by and for women, providing access to narratives that amplify their voices, struggles, and contributions to society.
This space reinforces our commitment to gender equity and the right to education as a driver of social transformation.
We believe that reading together is an act of resistance, growth, and freedom.
Feminist Writing Circles
Our Feminist Writing Circles are spaces for creation and expression where girls, young women, and women find their voices through writing. In a safe and collaborative environment, we explore the written word as a tool for self-discovery, resistance, and social transformation.
Each session encourages participants to write from their own experiences, emotions, and reflections, addressing topics such as identity, gender equity, social justice, and women’s rights. Through creative exercises, we share stories, strengthen confidence in our voices, and build a community that recognizes and values the diversity of thoughts and lived experiences.
Music Program
Our Music Program is a space designed for children and young people to explore their creativity, sensitivity, and expression through the art of sound. We believe in music as a powerful tool for personal development, learning, and community building.
Through dynamic and interactive classes, participants learn music theory, instrumental technique, singing, and composition. We encourage experimentation with different genres and styles, allowing each student to discover their own musical voice. Additionally, we promote collaboration through ensembles and live performances, where music becomes a bridge for sharing emotions, stories, and culture.
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