A Proud Legacy of Supporting Education and Leadership for Latino families in Atlanta
For over two decades, Los Niños Primero has been dedicated to providing educational support to underserved Latino students, youth, and their families. Our programs aim to prepare children, youth, and parents to excel in their communities while fostering a love of learning at any stage of life.
OUR STORY BEGINS
Los Niños Primero was founded by Executive Director Maritza Morelli ,who emigrated from Venezuela to Atlanta, Georgia, driven by a passion to make a difference in her new community. Her unwavering determination and purposeful actions have transformed the lives of countless Latino children, youth, and adults. Through Los Niños Primero’s programs, a cohesive and inclusive community has been built, dedicated to empowering Latino families and driving lasting positive change.
In 2001, Maritza Morelli, with the support of Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church, founded a culturally rich and welcoming education program to uplift Latino children and families in Sandy Springs, Atlanta. Facing challenges in accessing the resources needed to thrive in public schools, these families found hope in a new community-centered initiative: Los Niños Primero.
Together with bilingual speech pathologist and diagnostician Martha Barrios Mead (1951-2017), Maritza launched the first Los Niños Primero Summer Program, bringing 17 young students together at Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church for two weeks of joyful learning and connection. These early days embodied the strength of community and laid the foundation for a visionary curriculum that has since impacted over 6,200 Latino children, youth, and families.
Under Maritza’s inspiring leadership, Los Niños Primero has grown into a trusted resource for Atlanta’s Latino community, fostering a deep trust among immigrant families. Her dedication has created a ripple effect that benefits all Atlanta residents, nurturing a more engaged, healthy, stable, and educated community.
OUR PROGRAMS AND VISION
For 23 years, Los Niños Primero has been dedicated to enriching the lives of Latino children and their families through comprehensive educational support that nurtures academic, social, and emotional well-being. Our journey as leaders in Atlanta’s education landscape is only beginning, as we create a culturally empowering environment rooted in Play and Inquiry-Based Learning. This approach encourages children to become independent thinkers who are eager to explore and engage with the world around them.
With a proud legacy of success, we remain deeply committed to cultivating the next generation of Latino leaders. Our vision now extends beyond early education, supporting entire Latino families as they navigate the U.S. public school system. Today, we offer holistic academic and leadership development programs from early childhood through college, inspiring Latino children, youth, and parents to reach their full potential.
Early Childhood Education
Inspired by the Finnish education system, our early education programs have an exciting curriculum, applied by Georgia Certified teachers and aligned with Play Based Learning and Project Based Learning practices, as well as Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning, to provide a comprehensive education in language, math, science, art, and yoga.
Youth Service and Leadership
Our youth programs empower students through leadership development, service, and career exploration. The Youth Volunteer Program offers middle school to college students opportunities to gain service experience and build leadership skills while working with peers, teachers, and Los Niños Primero students. Our Creciendo Juntas program fosters mentorship between girl youth volunteers and students, providing access to education, the arts, and mental wellness through bi-monthly workshops. Youth volunteers can also become Martha Barrios Mead Scholars, summer interns, or youth site coordinators, gaining valuable experience and furthering their personal growth.
Family Leadership and Education Programs
Parents are essential to our vision of ensuring that Latino children and youth develop the skills they need to thrive both in the classroom and in their communities. To bring this vision to life, we focus our parent programs on three key pillars: equipping parents with the academic tools to become active advocates in the public school system through MALDEF’s curriculum for Parent-School Partnership; Cognitively-Based Compassion Training curriculum; supporting their mental well-being with Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (developed at Emory University) and Healthy Cooking for Every Body, which promote healthy habits; and empowering them with leadership opportunities through Fostering Family Leaders and our Coach Parent program. These initiatives work together to strengthen families, build resilience, and create lasting impact for the entire community.
Martha Barrios Mead Scholarship
Since the scholarship’s inception in 2018, it has become a cornerstone of support for Los Niños Primero alumni and youth volunteers, providing critical financial aid to help them pursue higher education, stay in school, and thrive in their chosen fields.
ARTS AND CULTURAL ENRICHMENT
Dance, Orchestra, Chorus, and Theatre (in partnership with the Alliance Theatre) all improve children’s creativity, critical thinking, motor skills, language development, and social skills, promoting self discipline and expression.
LOS NIÑOS PRIMERO SOCCER ACADEMY
The LNP Soccer Academy is an affordable program that consists of two teams: U8-U12. The Soccer Academy inspires and advances a better quality of life for our young players by integrating social, health and emotional well-being instruction.
SWIM
Our partnership with GoldFish Swim is made possible by funding from the City of Sandy Springs, and it helps our young students gain strength, endurance, and an important life skill.
AFFORDABLE FAMILY COUNSELING
In partnership with bilingual counselor Rosa Camarillo, we strive to give families the wellness education, tools and resources that they need to feel happy, healthy, and capable of managing life’s pressures.