In rural Guatemala, preschools are rare.
We're changing that — one child at a time.
Let’s Be Ready employs local certified teachers and trains community-minded young adults to teach children ages 4-6 in hard-to-reach areas of Guatemala. By combining our culturally relevant curriculum, student-centered learning, best practices, and daily nutritional snacks, children are equipped to be successful every day.
are learning in small groups through innovative activities. 95% are passing first grade and 80% stay in school through the 6th grade.
Education. Daily nutrition. Gardening. Art. Social-emotional skills. Two years in our program, and these children are ready for first grade — and for a different kind of life.
Every pin is a real classroom, run by a real teacher, in a real community. Click to meet them.
That's less than a dollar a day. The model is so efficient because teachers are from the community, classrooms are in homes, and the curriculum was built specifically for this context.
Learn How to HelpMonthly pay for 45 community facilitators, deposited directly into their personal bank accounts. Materials and transportation for 2 three-day trainings per year.
Three custom teaching manuals, educational supplies, and training sessions three times per year.
Daily nutritional snacks for every student. You can't learn when you're hungry.
Gardening, art, environmental awareness, and social-emotional learning that builds the whole child.
Our 501(c)(3) corporate account is managed by a certified accountant. Funds transfer monthly to Guatemala, and teachers receive stipends directly in their bank accounts.
Have questions about our finances? We're happy to share more.
For more than three decades, Garrett served as a high school teacher and educator in Houston public schools, specializing in ESL instruction for newly arrived immigrant and refugee students. His work went beyond the classroom—empowering teens to adapt, succeed, and thrive in a new country, while also mentoring teachers as a trainer and leader. Garret often says being a classroom teacher was the best job in the world. A devoted parent to Miguel and Gabriela, Garrett is also a member of F3 Nation and has a deep and enduring love for Guatemala.
Sara has experience as a childhood education teacher with completed studies in Social Work. She resides in Santo Domingo Xenacoj, Sacatepéquez and leads a team of 28 teachers across 25 communities in the departments of Chimaltenango and Sacatepéquez.
As a curriculum specialist, Lucy trains our facilitators three times a year and provides support throughout the school year. She has created three manuals with innovative educational proposals to implement in each of the classrooms in the departments of Quiché, Huehuetenango, and Sololá.
As an educator in the field of ESL, Janice has always had a tremendous interest in other cultures. After volunteering with indigenous cultures for many years, she co-founded the nonprofit, Project Quetzal, which collaborated with Let’s Be Ready and set up preschools in rural Mayan communities in Sololá. Janice knows firsthand the importance of helping the indigenous children gain access to education and develop skills to effect changes in their lives and communities. She admires the resourcefulness and generosity of the Mayan people and is grateful to be able to continue creating more opportunities through Let’s Be Ready.
John is a retired public school teacher of 34 years, and as a frequent traveler to Guatemala since the late 1980s to the present, will help him bring a wealth experience, in an advisory position, to Let's Be Ready. In 2012, Fred Zambroski, the founder of Lets Be Ready , met with John and his family in a restaurant in Antigua, where they were handing off some books for the program. By the end of the meal, the Reed family was hooked on helping Let's Be Ready. They have adopted and supported two classrooms since that time. John's annual trip to visit his classrooms and many other Let's Be Ready classrooms gives him a hands on and from the ground up perspective on both the needs and potential of Let's Be Ready. John resides in Houston, Texas with his wife, Lisa, and 21-year-old twin girls, Audrey and Sophia.
Mr. Reed has a long history of volunteering for charitable and civic organizations. A graduate of Columbia University, he commenced working for Price Waterhouse & Co. in New York. He transferred to the Houston Office in 1967, spent two years on tour in Hong Kong, and then returned to Houston. Two of the organizations he volunteered for were a City of Houston program to mentor fatherless teen boys and the Executive Service Corp, mentoring students at the University of Houston involved in operational enhancement projects for Non-Profits in the Houston Community. He has served on many Boards (and related Committees), including with the Houston Grand Opera, Jr. Achievement of Texas, and Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Council. Upon retirement, he served on the Board of the Menil Foundation and later as CFO. He also joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society whose mission is to serve the vulnerable of the Houston Community.
Jasmin is a professional in the construction industry with a passion for service for others. She has served as both a member and leader in various nonprofit organizations. She especially values those that promote the equitable education of children and truly believes education is what brings change to communities and to the world. She is excited to bring her energy to Let's Be Ready for that purpose.
“Dedicated men and women believe that all children in their communities deserve access to early education. They opened preschools in their homes, and they changed everything.”
— Let's Be Ready, 2026
Our model has worked for years but the job is not done. More classrooms are needed. The teachers are ready, the communities are ready, and, most of all, the children are ready. Consider partnering with Let’s Be Ready to help educate as many rural children as possible.
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