In the neighborhoods where we work, the lack of adequate nutrition in the first years of life can shape a child's future forever. ACER steps in before the damage becomes irreversible.
See our programs ↓The context
How we respond
ACER didn't invent a new solution. It adopted and adapted two methodologies backed by decades of scientific evidence — CONIN for nutrition and Montessori for cognitive development — and combined them into a comprehensive intervention model that works precisely within the critical window from ages 0 to 5.
The result is a program where every child receives nutritional care, early stimulation, and family support simultaneously and consistently.
What we do
Each program is designed to address a specific dimension of the problem. Together they form a comprehensive intervention system that supports the child and their family from day one.
Early detection and nutritional recovery for children aged 0 to 5 with low weight or height. Monthly clinical follow-up with a pediatrician and nutritionist.
Cognitive, motor, and emotional development for children aged 0 to 5 through prepared environments and Montessori materials designed for early childhood.
A child can't be separated from their family or their environment. We work with the family unit as the engine of social change.
A mother with the right tools is the best investment in a child's future. Our workshops aim at autonomy and empowerment.
Our most recent and most ambitious project. Faro Nursery School is the first Montessori early-childhood space (ages 0 to 5) in the neighborhood, developed under the PIM program — Primera Infancia Montessori (Montessori Early Childhood) — in partnership with the Municipality of San Isidro.
What we measure
Every program has clear indicators that we measure regularly. Transparency in results is part of our commitment to donors and families.
Every donation, every hour of volunteering, every company that joins makes it possible for this work to continue.
My name is Estefanía Gallo and I'm 31 years old. I finished secondary school at 17, and at 20 I became a mother for the first time. Like many women, I set aside work and study plans to devote myself fully to motherhood. At 22 I had my second daughter, and at 25, my third child.
I came to ACER through a proposal from the kindergarten my children attended, to get to know the Montessori environment up close. The first time I walked in, I fell in love with the environment and the way of working. I began to learn more about the method, and that's how I discovered the Fundación Argentina María Montessori, where I decided to train as an Assistant.
ACER's board and staff, to whom I'll always be grateful, gave me the opportunity to work with them right away.
After three years came the long-awaited scholarship, granted by the Montessori Foundation and ACER, to train as a Montessori Guide. I took it on with pride, enthusiasm and responsibility.
In August 2019, with a great deal of effort and sacrifice, I earned my internationally recognized certification. It's hard to put my happiness into words, let alone the pride I felt seeing my children at the diploma ceremony.
Working at ACER fills me with joy: it lets me help the families who come here, planting a small seed in the stimulation and upbringing of their children, and showing that it's possible to move forward. I delight in the children's joy at finding an environment that lets them unlock their full potential.
I hope my experience inspires many mothers —at this center and so many others— to move forward and grow, professionally and personally, cultivating great values so that, together, we can make a better world.
Romi and Isa have several things in common: both had three children, both sew skillfully, and both work hard to get ahead and improve their quality of life.
They met several years ago, thanks to their children being friends at school. Isa (50) decided to invite Romi (41) to the ACER center in Vicente López. And once Romi arrived, she never left.
Through the workshops, and not without some fears, they learned sewing, knitting, embroidery, manicure, dance, cooking and jewelry-making, discovering talents they never suspected they had. With great courage they decided to launch their own venture of sustainable fabric bags, based on the techniques learned at ACER and the support of the center's staff.
An unimaginable dream: for Romi, who always considered herself clumsy at embroidery and discovered she is quite the opposite; and for Isa, who after a hard personal and family story found a career path that motivates and sustains her.
They started small: with the old sewing machine of one of their grandmothers, a WhatsApp group, and the help of Sergio, Isa's husband, whom they call "The Cutter" for his millimetric precision measuring and cutting the fabric.
Today, together with two other mothers they met at the center, they lead @madrazasbsas: they make fabric bags for different businesses and work with steady dedication and joy so the project grows with every step.
"Hi, my name is Susana, and I'm the mother of two children who come to ACER. We love coming here, and we feel truly supported — both financially and emotionally. I'm deeply grateful for everything it has meant for my children's development."
"Hi, my name is Lidia, and I'm an ACER–CONIN mom. I joined because of my children: my youngest was underweight, and thanks to the pediatricians' help and my own efforts, we got him to a healthy weight. I'm more than grateful, and I don't have words to thank all the specialists here who helped me."
"I'm a former ACER–CONIN mom, now a volunteer in the sewing workshop. It makes me so happy to give back my small grain of sand after everything you shared with me. It's a real milestone to help other moms learn to sew and do alterations. I hope to keep contributing, and I thank everyone working behind the scenes — the support they give is truly wonderful."
