Tierra Linda el Zapotal is located in the department of Petén, the northern part of Guatemala.  It is a small community that started with a few indiginous Q'eqchi families who were given land there after the government relocated them from a national protected area.  Formal education is usually available to the children of the community starting with Kindergarten or 1^st grade and continuing on to 6^th grade.  However, the quality and consistency of education offered to them is extremely low and many children drop out of school before graduating from the 6^th grade.  When the government does not provide enough teachers for the community, the youngest children are the ones left out.  By doing this, the most important years of a child’s language and sensorial development (ages birth-6 years) are lost.   

It is also important to note that many of the families of Tierra Linda currently rely on their land to provide them with food and perhaps a small income.  At the present rate of population growth in the community, this will be impossible to maintain.  When all is said and done, most  families have an average of 6-10 children.  That said, it is becoming more important with each passing day that the children learn basic reading, writing and mathematical skills so that they may continue their education and have more opportunities for themselves and their families in the future.

In order to address this issue, Las Manos de Christine is working in collaboration with other organizations, businesses, and individuals in order to provide early childhood education for the community of Tierra Linda.  The education center, Na'ajeb' Li Kok'al (Children's House) is open to students from late January through October and follows the Montessori Method of teaching.  Approximately 70 children ages 3, 4 and 5 are split into two mixed-age groups.  Both groups attend school Monday through Friday each week, one group in the morning and the other in the afternoon.  The curriculum areas covered in the program are Practical Life, Sensorial, Language Arts, Mathematics, Culture and Science.