The Mexican school that co-created its community-driven model with parents to become a thriving hub of shared responsibility
A Favor del Niño (AFN), a charity kindergarten, primary and complementary secondary education in Mexico City, Mexico, is changing outcomes for marginalised students through a 360-degree community-driven model, co-created with families, that redefines the notion of child care to create a space of shared responsibility and socio-emotional support where children can thrive. To dismantle the deeply entrenched and interconnected cycles of fragmented and disengaged parents and caregivers, poverty, malnutrition, and poor health, the educational model ensures that each child is supported by a network of educators, families, and strong alliances with community partners, equipping them for academic success and a holistic and thriving life beyond the classroom.
Led by the belief that lasting change can only be achieved through collective effort, the school has transitioned into a strong alliance working together towards a shared outcome. Teachers, parents, local organisations, and community leaders share a deep sense of responsibility as facilitators of a process that emphasises academic achievement while meeting the challenges that poverty inflicts on children’s mental health, emotional wellbeing, and physical health. Driven by a project-based pedagogical approach and supported by the shared intent of educators, families and the broader community, children are empowered to lead their own learning processes, resulting in substantial improvements in literacy, numeracy, and retention, as well as significantly stronger socio-emotional competencies.
Through this approach, 100% of students who graduate transition seamlessly to high-performance secondary schools, and academic performance has remained consistently strong, with primary students maintaining an average performance rating above eight across all grade levels. AFN’s community-driven Cuidadores en Acción programme, which empowers parents and families to play an active role in their children's socio-emotional and academic development, had a caregivers participation rate of 89% in 2024, currently supports 310 children plus close to 800 family members across 258 households, and has inspired the development of a formal manual now being prepared for publication to share with other schools in the region. In terms of health and nutrition, the school provides over 189,000 meals annually, ensuring that all students receive consistent nutritional support, and delivers a 100% HPV vaccination rate for girls.
From being just a school to becoming a collective community where all players work together to shape the outcome, AFN is breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty to ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive beyond the classroom.
