A teacher with young students in a rural Guatemalan classroom

Transforming Preschool
Education in Guatemala

In rural Guatemala, preschools are rare.
We're changing that — one village at a time.

The Reality

In Guatemala, a child born in a rural Mayan village has a 1 in 5 chance of finishing primary school.

80% of rural children drop out before finishing primary school
Zero preschool options in most rural villages
Invisible Communities so remote they're invisible to the education system
But.

What if the solution was already
inside the community?

01
A young facilitator being trained to teach preschool

A young woman from the village steps forward.

She cares deeply about her community. We train her with a culturally adapted curriculum — three manuals built specifically for Mayan communities.

02
Children learning in a community classroom in rural Guatemala

She opens a classroom in her home.

12 to 15 children, ages 4 to 6, learn in small groups for 2–3 hours a day. No building needed. No bureaucracy. Just a room, a teacher, and a curriculum that works.

03
Happy children in a Let's Be Ready preschool classroom

Children discover what's possible.

Education. Daily nutrition. Gardening. Art. Social-emotional skills. Two years in our program, and these children are ready for first grade — and for a different kind of life.

Proof, Not Promises

This works. Here are the numbers.

0
pass first grade
The national rural average is under 20%. Our kids pass at 95%.
0
children learning right now
Across 45 classrooms in 5 departments of Guatemala, as of 2025.
8 out of 10
finish primary school
Most rural children drop out in year one. Our graduates keep going.
17 yrs
proven track record
Founded in 2008. Not a pilot. Not an experiment. A proven, replicable model.
See the Impact

45 classrooms.
5 departments.
One map.

Every pin is a real classroom, run by a real teacher, in a real community. Click to meet them.

45 Communities
45 Teachers
600 Children
The Cost of Change
$3,800
An entire classroom of 12–15 children for a full year.

That's less than a dollar a day. The model is so efficient because teachers are from the community, classrooms are in homes, and the curriculum was built specifically for this context.

Learn How to Help

Teacher Stipends

Monthly pay for 45 community facilitators, deposited directly into their personal bank accounts.

Curriculum & Materials

Three custom teaching manuals, educational supplies, and training sessions three times per year.

Child Nutrition

Daily nutritional snacks for every student. You can't learn when you're hungry.

Extension Programs

Gardening, art, environmental awareness, and social-emotional learning that builds the whole child.

Full Transparency

We believe you deserve to
know everything

Our 501(c)(3) corporate account at Charles Schwab is managed by a certified accountant. Funds transfer monthly to Guatemala, requiring dual signatures. Directors and our Guatemalan accountant review every expense monthly. Teachers receive stipends directly in their bank accounts.

Teacher compensation 62%
Truck & maintenance 10%
Training & development 9%
Administrator compensation 6%
Other operating 5%
Classroom upgrades 3%
Nutrition & water 3%
Administration expenses 2%
2025 donations received $279,000
2025 total expenditures $249,000

Have questions about our finances? We're happy to share more.

Verified 501(c)(3) Tax-deductible nonprofit
17 Years Proven track record since 2008
100% Transparent Open books, accountable to you
Bradley Lazard
Bradley Lazard
Board Member

Garrett Reed
Garrett Reed
Executive Director

30+ years as a teacher and trainer, working with immigrant and refugee students from Latin America.

Sara Tun
Sara Tun
Program Administrator, Chimaltenango & Sacatepéquez

With sixteen years experience, Sarita administers 26 classrooms in two departments.

Lucila Diaz
Lucila Diaz
Administrator, Huehuetenango, Sololá & Quiché

Lucy has been with Let’s Be Ready for 15 years. As a curriculum specialist, Lucy oversees yearly updates to our curriculum and travels extensively to meet with and support teachers.

“Dedicated men and women believe that all children in their communities deserve access to early education. They opened preschools in their homes, and they changed everything.”

— Let's Be Ready, 2026

Thousands of children
are still waiting.

We have 45 classrooms. Thousands more are needed. The model works. The teachers are ready. The only thing missing is funding.

Donate Now
501(c)(3) tax-deductible · 100% funds programs · Zero overhead