Collage of children playing at Rayuela

In 2015, our Rayuela School came into existence, born from the vision of maestra Lili who was entrusted with creating a unique method for teaching Spanish at a Montessori school in Altadena. The success of this program resonated with parents, prompting the establishment of a summer program. Following the positive reception, the demand for a year-round alternative preschool emerged, and with humble beginnings of just five children, our play-based program took root.

Community acceptance soared, leading to full capacity within a year and subsequent waiting lists in the following years. Throughout this journey, parents consistently displayed enthusiasm, commitment, and generosity towards the project. Today, our escuelita has expanded to two campuses in Altadena, hosting over 40 families participating in our Day Program, Afterschool, and Enrichment Activities in collaboration with other private and public schools.

Children doing activities on tables at Rayuela

The program's name, inspired by the traditional hopscotch game, reflects our commitment to a play-based educational approach. Furthermore, our teaching method draws inspiration from the book "Rayuela" known for its unconventional structure where chapters can be read in different orders—an echo of the eclectic and dynamic nature of our own teaching methodology.

From its inception, Rayuela School has been made possible through the generous involvement and contributions of friends and families. In 2016, our inaugural fundraiser, a paella dinner night primarily attended by friends of maestra Lili, marked the beginning of our fundraising journey. The school's existence and growth have remained intricately tied to the active participation and support of parents.

This year, our needs have expanded, particularly as we navigate challenges with the city to advance our projects. Encouragingly, we recently received positive news from Public Works, offering assistance in an affordable expansion of our school, ensuring the sustainability of our ongoing initiatives.

Despite this progress, we are still awaiting funding from the DSS for our Mariposa Campus. Therefore, our primary financial objectives for these funds include investing mainly on Rayuela Dos:

1. Enhancing the School Fence at Rayuela Dos: After nearly five years of anticipation, the school is finally on the verge of replacing its aging fence to align with city regulations for our expansion. Unfortunately, the project faced delays due to additional requirements. However, we've recently received positive news from the city, prompting us to initiate the process of renovating the fence. Our goal is to create a safer, friendlier, and more appealing playground space for our students.

2. Cultivating a Vegetable Garden: We aim to elevate the student experience by
establishing a space where children can actively engage with nature and gain an
understanding of the harvest process. Our plan is to create a vegetable garden in our own backyard, allowing students to enjoy organic, locally grown produce. Fruit trees and various vegetables are in the pipeline for cultivation.

3. Enhancing the Playground Atmosphere with Ficus Plants: In addition to upgrading the fence, we aspire to introduce more greenery to our playground by planting Ficus trees throughout the entire area. This initiative aims to provide students with increased privacy, greater exposure to nature, and a contribution to our commitment to environmental sustainability.

Last, but certainly not least, we would like to support Venezuelan children by donating a portion of the proceeds toward the organization "Helping Children in Venezuela." This organization has been supporting families in need since 2016 with food, school supplies, clothing, toys, medicine, etc.

Children in Venezuela with Donated Items

The donations can be used to help volunteers in Venezuela to buy the ingredients and cook the meals, to be served at the Comedores, usually during the weekends where hundreds of children in need go to eat.

Please watch this video and visit Helping Children in Venezuela's Instagram for more.

Rayuela's Auction Fundraiser

¡Vamos a Venezuela!