Early Childhood Education Centers

History & Mission

Centro Mater Child Care Services is a non-profit organization founded in 1968 by Sister Miranda, R.S.C.J. in order to accommodate the educational and developmental needs of the many Cuban children and families who were constantly arriving Miami during that time. By providing a daycare and early childhood education center for these children, Madre Miranda and her all-volunteer staff were able to alleviate one of many hardships faced by the newly arrived refugees.

Since 1976 Centro Mater has continued to grow and expand its services to a larger and more diverse community that includes US citizens as well as immigrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador, among others. In 1980 Centro Mater began serving pre-school children through the Head Start Program, and in 1986 opened the first two infant/toddler classrooms.

In 1996, Centro Mater established Centro Mater West Child Care Center in order to meet the growing needs of the children and families residing in the northern area of the county. In 1998 a third site was opened in Hialeah Gardens. These expansions have allowed us to provide outreach to previously underserved neighborhoods where immigrants, suffering from the numerous ravages of socioeconomic disadvantages are concentrated. Two more sites were open recently Centro Mater Walker Park in 2008 in collaboration with the City of Hialeah and in 2009 Centro Mater East II at Little Havana. The last project started February 2010 and it is Centro Mater West EHS Home Based option using home visiting as a method of service delivery. It is a way to offer support, guidance, information, and child development services directly to families in their homes

Our philosophy is designed to give children, at each stage of development, a beginning foundation of success in school and to promote a love of learning while encouraging parent’s self-sufficiency.

Our Mission:

Centro Mater Child Care Services Inc. extends the educational mission of the Church while providing programs and services that ensure optimal educational opportunities for all children regardless of race, creed or religious affiliation.