From a young age, Enriqueta Cora was eager to share her passion for childhood education and learning. After working as a kindergarten teaching assistant in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, for years, Enriqueta and her husband, Gilbert, decided to move to El Paso, Texas and build a better life for their family.
Enriqueta soon realized that her previous professional teaching experiences could enable her to pursue her passion and still spend time with her own children. She launched Cora’s Day Care from the family home in El Paso in 1986. “I wanted to create great opportunities for my family, myself, and others like us. The opportunity to have this job means everything to me.”
Enriqueta worked hard to expand the family home into a respected local daycare center for children from infancy to 12 years of age. However, after decades of running Cora’s Day Care, the family home was beginning to show signs of wear that Enriqueta couldn’t fix alone. She approached local organization Project Vida for financial assistance, where she was encouraged to apply for a LiftFund loan.
Through an ongoing partnership with LiftFund and the Eva Longoria Foundation, Enriqueta received the financial support she needed to make significant updates to the daycare grounds, including a new fence installation around the house and patio, new floors and a renovated entrance.
“This loan has helped me maintain my business and improve the daycare so that children come to a welcoming and safe space to play and learn.” Today, Cora’s Day Care provides childcare and a bilingual learning environment to local families, offering a particular focus on preparing young children for pre-K and kindergarten.
