Our Vision
A world where each individual has the opportunity and support necessary to become a self-directed, self-confident, contributing member of society.
Our Mission
Through exceptional leadership and teachers, we provide a safe and nurturing learning environment for fully supported girls in Puerto Vallarta to experience a well-rounded and balanced bilingual program, emphasizing inquiry, creative and critical thinking, and personal responsibility.
Our graduates have the self-confidence and ability to contribute to the social, cultural, and economic life of their communities.
Our Values
Our school community -- staff, students, stakeholders -- models these core values in our actions and interactions:
Integrity. We act in accordance with the highest standard of trust, reliability, and honesty.
Empathy. We support each individual, recognizing differences in background, circumstances, and abilities.
Respect. We acknowledge that each member of our school community is respected as an individual, unique, and capable.
Excellence. We pursue excellence in our programs, demonstrating high expectations with support to succeed.
Transparency. Our business and education models embed transparency in funding, administrative and teaching decisions, and communication with stakeholders.
Our Story
“It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness”
She shows up at the soup kitchen. She’s hungry. She’s poor. She’s dropped out of school. She may or may not have a baby. She may or may not have a husband. Either way, for her, the doors to a better life have already closed.
She’s 12 years old.
This story is common in Puerto Vallarta. More girls drop out of school than boys. Barriers to girls’ education are real: poverty, violence, early marriage, low expectations, and tradition: Boys’ education gets prioritized. Most girls don’t leave school for lack of interest or intellect. They leave because of basic gender inequality.
They deserve better.
When girls get the opportunities they deserve, everybody wins. Better-educated girls are more informed about nutrition and healthcare, marry at a later age, and their children are healthier. Better-educated girls are more likely to become involved in the modern workforce and earn higher incomes. They make decisions about their own lives. They contribute to their communities and the world.
And the world gets better.
But the solution goes beyond getting girls to stay in school. We’re talking about a new school, one that offers girl-centered education, which is more than same-sex classrooms. It’s about building girls’ self-esteem; eliminating classroom practices that often marginalize or stereotype girls; giving girls an emotionally and physically safe space in which to learn; encouraging female career aspirations; providing girls with mentors and role models — and working with community groups and businesses to provide girls with routes to success.
By including real life issues like work, health, and money, girl-centered education dispels the Prince Charming myth that they will be cared for by someone other than themselves. Today, by choice or necessity, most women will be in the workforce, so all women should carry from school the tools to be self-sustaining.
Our school provides free girl-centered education for 60 girls, including computers, uniforms, books, and transportation, plus mentors, health education, and day care for young moms.
We need your support.