Our Story

“When a child has access to quality early education, the whole community wins: equality, hope and dreams are made possible.”

How One Question Changed Hundreds of Lives

It started with a question

Centro Infantil de los Ángeles (CILA) was born from compassion and community. In 2000, Chicago teacher Donna Quathamer arrived in San Miguel de Allende and asked local women what she could do to help. Many were single mothers, working long hours in the markets with their babies strapped to their backs.

Their answer was simple but powerful — “We need a safe place to leave our children.”

“Centro Infantil de los Ángeles is a community of caring people who gather to nurture children and to serve the needs of the less fortunate, treating each person with dignity and respect as they work to make a better life for themselves.”

Donna Quathamer,
Our Founder

From that moment, Casa de los Ángeles was created: a free daycare where low-income working mothers could trust that their children were safe, nourished, and cared for.

Growing Together

In 2017, Casa de los Ángeles merged with Centro Infantil San Pablo, a preschool founded by St. Paul’s Anglican Church to provide high-quality, secular early education.

Together, they formed Centro Infantil de los Ángeles (CILA) — serving children from 3 months to 6 years old and giving families hope for a brighter future.

For over 25 years, CILA’s story has been one of resilience, love, and transformation — proving that when a community invests in its children, it changes everything.

What the children learn and practice here at school — such as social behaviors and healthy eating — directly benefits their families. Centro Infantil de los Ángeles is a home. It’s welcoming, collaborative, and focused on achieving meaningful goals. There’s a strong sense of teamwork, humility, and equity. We promote identity, and our Director is always there to support and guide us. Our Director, Patricia Palacios, is always there to support and guide us. She reminds us never to lose sight of our goal — the children.

Vivi

Second-Year Preschool Teacher

Everyone at CILA works together toward a common goal, to educate children from low-income families that would not otherwise have an opportunity to go to school until first grade. CILA provides a life-changing early childhood education to children of low-income families so that they can be successful in whatever they choose to do.

Dave Shenk

Board President of CILA, Full-Time Classroom Volunteer

Centro Infantil de los Angeles gave me the foundation and guidance I needed to believe in myself. Thanks to my teachers, I overcame obstacles and today I’m starting my journey in university — something I never imagined possible.

Elías Eduardo

Exalumno 20 años

The children are that little ray of sunshine in my life — they brighten it with their laughter and achievements, and they never cease to amaze me.

Liz

Early Preschool Teacher (3 to 8 months)

I love seeing the children come for their meals, being so independent, and watching them grow a little more each day.

Mary Paz

Cook

Every child has incredible potential — and Centro Infantil de los Angeles brings out the very best in each of them.Centro Infantil de los Angeles makes a real difference, nurturing children and supporting families every day.

Pat Laird

Volunteer

I look forward to watching the babies and toddlers go to preschool and know that I love them. Centro Infantil de los Ángeles is love.

Diana Winer

Volunteer

My goal here is to make a positive difference and help ensure the long-term sustainability of CILA and its mission. My dream is that every CILA graduate has the confidence, skills, and opportunities — though not guarantees — to make their own choices and achieve all they are capable of, whether in Mexico or beyond.

David Stone

Member of the Board

The children surprise me every day. The parents’ recognition of our effort is a daily reward.

Abi Lorena

Abi Lorena, first-year preschool teacher, 9 years at the institution Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education

Early education is the most important stage to provide guidance that builds a strong foundation for a future with comprehensive education. Centro Infantil de los Ángeles is love and inclusion.

Patricia Palacios

Director of the Children’s Center

I love welcoming my little ones, singing, dancing with them, and watching how they grow from babies until they finish preschool.

Mrs. Angélica: Assistant to the Director

3 years of service at CILA

01Nov

REVIEW OF THE DAY OF THE DEAD OPEN HOUSE

What a beautiful morning we had at our Day of the Dead Open House! Full of color, laughter, and love, we welcomed more than twenty guests who joined us to celebrate Mexican traditions and learn about our daily work at Centro Infantil de los Ángeles.

Patricia Sobolsky

29Oct

Day of the Dead Open House 2025

Join us on October 30 at 10 a.m. for a colorful Día de Muertos celebration with our preschool children, teachers, and volunteers at Centro Infantil de los Ángeles.