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An early childhood education program opens new headquarters in Pueblo

Chicanos Por La Causa held a ribbon-cutting for its new headquarters on Thursday
Chicanos Por La Causa
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PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — An organization that runs several head start preschools in Southeastern Colorado held a ribbon cutting for its new headquarters on Thursday.

The new offices are along North Chester Avenue near Downtown Pueblo.

Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) operates six head start preschools, providing early education service from Pueblo to Walsenburg to Trinidad. They offer full-day preschool for children ages three to five years old. It is a service one mom said she desperately needed.

“When I came into the program, I was in between houses. Me and my kids were homeless. We didn't have a permanent place to live,” said Sarah Gatlin.

Mother of three, Gatlin said she first read about CPLC from a flier. That's when she enrolled her daughter into the Head Start Program.

“She went into the program being really shy and not really communicating as much,” said Gatlin.

Gatlin said she watched her daughter blossom during that school year.

“And now she's bright, she smiles, she laughs, and she communicates well, more well than she did,” said Gatlin.

CPLC preschools go beyond teaching the ABC's.

“We do focus on their social, emotional, physical, cognitive and literacy,” said Gatlin.

She said her son was scared to go to school, but his teachers made him feel at home.

“His teachers were able to calm him down, make him feel like he was welcome, give him hugs, whatever he needed," said Gatlin.

While at school, the focus is learning and social development, the Vice President, Rhonda Duskey, said outside the classroom, CPLC helps parents with their needs.

“Incorporated in all that is teaching children how to identify what they're feeling, why they're feeling that, how to take those emotions and express them,” said Duskey. “Housing to appropriate medical care, dental care, mental health, services, education.”

Duskey said most of the families they work with are at or below the federal poverty guideline.

“For them to help not only the children, but the parents as well, is something to help the whole community, because it's getting us out of poverty,” said Gatlin.

CPLC helped Gatlin find housing and employment.

“It brought purpose back into my life, because I was struggling, didn't think I had any purpose in my life anymore,” said Gatlin.

Gatlin said she has found her new passion and has recently signed up for college classes to become a licensed teacher.

To get connected to CPLC visit their website.

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