Promesas de Esperanza: A Provider Success Story in Maricopa County

Summer Palacios loves almost everything about her job running a child care center – except for paperwork. “I work long days, but they never feel that long,” shared Summer. “I love playing with the kids and my staff is great.”

Summer is no stranger to hard work. Growing up in foster care, she volunteered at a nearby child care center to keep busy until she was old enough to work there. She then earned her teaching degree and taught for 16 years. During the pandemic, as working families across the country struggled to find child care, Summer decided to return to her first passion. She launched her child care center, Promesas de Esperanza, in September 2022. 

Renovated playground with new soft surfacing

Promesas de Esperanza cares for 70 children in the heart of Glendale, Arizona, providing care for infants through school-age children, ages 6 weeks to 12 years old. A $225,000 grant has helped Summer accelerate improvements to Promesas de Esperanza in just a few months.

“We did so much with the grant – from tiny things to huge things,” glowed Summer. Some of the most dramatic changes happened outside, where a colorful mural now surrounds an updated playground. Children can swing, ride tricycles around a painted bike path, and slide down new playground equipment. Canopies provide cool shade and sun protection for the children, while new soft surfacing appropriate for children six months and older allows crawling infants to play outside as well.

Inside, Summer reworked the existing space to add new classrooms that cater to children’s developmental needs. A classroom for three-year-olds has a new changing station, allowing three-year-olds using diapers to remain with their peers and accommodating special needs children. A new transition classroom accommodates babies who have just turned one, giving them space separate from younger infants and older children aged 12-23 months. This transition room allows one-year-olds to practice walking, sitting in a highchair, and lying on a mat safely without interference from older toddlers. 

Summer purchased new front and back doors and fire sprinklers to improve safety. She also used funding to install shades and add reflective mirroring to the windows, increasing natural light while maintaining privacy. Children and staff can see out of the building but people outside cannot see into the classrooms.

Changing station

With the facility improvements, Promesas de Esperanza has increased enrollment and accepted 19 infants and toddlers off the waitlist. This is welcome news in Glendale, a community where there aren’t enough licensed child care facilities for the number of children needing care. Summer eventually hopes to enclose a multi-purpose room to create even more space for infants and toddlers. 

To celebrate the changes made to the center, Promesas de Esperanza hosted an open house. Families and community members saw the renovations firsthand while enjoying upbeat music, shaved ice, balloon animals, and face painting. Promesas de Esperanza even convened community resources, including free clothing, hygiene products, and applications for state child care assistance. 

Commitment to children and families are at the heart of Promesas de Esperanza’s values – and embedded in its very name. Promesas de Esperanza means “promises of hope,” reflecting both the promise in children if we invest in them and the name of Summer’s daughter, Esperanza. “We really try to create an atmosphere that feels like family,” noted Summer. “The community is happy and families feel their kids are getting the highest quality care.”

Arizona Child Care Infrastructure Grant: Maricopa County Highlights

The Arizona Child Care Infrastructure Grant program was funded by the Arizona Department of Economic Security (ADES) and First Things First (FTF) through Child Care Stabilization Grants appropriated in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021.