Centro Tyrone Guzman

In Manos Montessori, Latine* youth and elders work together to provide our community with culturally relevant, handmade, and high-quality Montessori materials.

*Centro Tyrone Guzman has chosen to use “e,” in place of the Spanish use of masculine” o,” to include people of all genders. We are committed to gender inclusion and recognize the important contributions that all persons make to our communities.

Through 49 years of partnering with Latine families in Minneapolis, Centro Tyrone Guzman has found that intergenerational collaboration is one of the most effective strategies for promoting sustainable change. 

In the Manos Montessori social enterprise, youth work with elders to develop, produce, and distribute boxes of hand-crafted Montessori educational materials. The bilingual materials are designed to address educational disparities by helping Latine parents and other caregivers support the healthy development of their young child/ren (ages 0-3) at home.

The following is a brief description of the content of the initial three boxes.

Everything from business planning, operations, marketing, production, and sales is overseen by youth and elders. 

This intergenerational business collaboration is mutually beneficial to everyone involved. Youth benefit from positive relationships with elders that help complement family dynamics or provide support when other adult mentors are lacking. And studies show elders are more likely to feel happier and satisfied when they are actively investing in and caring for the next generation. This collaboration helps increase empathy in youth and slow signs of dementia in elders. 

Your contribution not only help families in need but also help our program thrive!

$50 supports an underserved family in need with 1 Montessori box.

$100 supports 2 underserved families in need with 2 Montessori boxes.

$250 supports 4 underserved families in need with 4 Montessori boxes and allows us to invest in future inventory.

$500 supports 8 underserved families in need with 8 Montessori boxes and allows us to continue to invest in additional supplies to increase capacity.

$1,000 supports 10 underserved families in need with 10 Montessori boxes and allows us to maintain and update our equipment and tools.