We aim to make building ownership possible for entrepreneurs who are ready to take the leap! In September 2024, we helped Christina Kent Early Childhood Center and Albuquerque Adult Learning Center secure their forever homes. We talked with Executive Directors, Sondra Carpenter from Christina Kent and Gloria Rael from the Albuquerque Adult Learning Center to learn more about their organizations and how they are expanding their footprints.
Q&A with Sondra Carpenter From Christina Kent Early Childhood Center
Q: Give us some background on Christina Kent Early Childhood Learning Center.
A: Christina Kent ECC was founded in 1919 to serve families with childcare while women were entering the workforce post WWI. It is a nonprofit program designed to address the core issues affecting the health and well-being of Albuquerque’s most at-risk children by providing high-quality, early childhood education and nutrition at an affordable cost. We are committed to creating a different future for children regardless of socioeconomic status.
Christina Kent moved into their current location at Third and Coal in 1942. The program expanded to serve more children in the mid-80s and serves children two to five years old. During COVID the program, once again expanded to include 10 additional slots to serve school-aged children while families, deemed essential, could go to work. This program has continued as a summer and school break program.
Q: What is your plan for the property you purchased?
A: We are excited to open a satellite location that will serve infants, toddlers, and early Pre-K-aged children. We will be able to double our impact, serving 60 more children.
Q: How will this affect families and childcare workers in Albuquerque?
A: The need for affordable infant and toddler care in NM and ABQ is significant. High-quality programs have waiting lists, which prevents parents from entering the workforce. There are many families who cannot afford accredited, 5-star licensed childcare. The state of New Mexico has identified this as an issue and has built childcare capacity building programs that support tuition in their Florecer State Strategic Plan, which aims to improve the early childhood system in the New Mexico.
Q&A with Gloria Rael From Albuquerque Adult Learning Center
Q: Give us some background on Albuquerque Adult Learning Center.
A: Albuquerque Adult Learning Center, formerly known as Albuquerque GED, is a nonprofit established in 2010 with experience providing literacy, high school equivalency preparation, post-secondary transition assistance, and career preparation assistance. As a community-based and grass-roots organization, we are focused on serving adults in some of the most under-served communities in Albuquerque. ABQ-ALC is making a difference in the International District, a community where over 74% of residents are people of color. Over the past two years, we’ve received state recognition for the highest second (fiscal year 2022-2023) and fourth (fiscal year 2023-2024) quarterly employment earnings after exiting the program.
Q: How will the purchase of this property change your operations?
A: Owning our own building will help us gain programming and operations stability. We have been working out of City and County Community Centers since 2008. Interruptions to our direct services hurts our retention, which impacts all our other core outcomes.
Q: How will it help further your mission of educating adults in Albuquerque?
A: New Mexico’s Anti-Donation policy forced us to fundraise and direct some of our grant funding toward rent. We now allocate the majority of our funding and donations to programming and direct services. Although we will still need to fundraise to retain our amazing instructors, support staff, and for operating costs to maintain our new building, all but one of our seven programs are now based at our new location at 1201 San Mateo Blvd SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108.