Mi Casa Es Tu Casa Offers Education to Children Within a Loving Home Setting
by rodrigo sanchez
Cristina Balsimelli.
Five years ago, Cristina Balsimelli started her preschool business. In an interview with Cristina, we discovered her journey navigating the challenges of owning a preschool and the fruits of sharing Hispanic culture with the new generations in Anchorage.
While working as a teacher’s assistant, her dream of owning a preschool began during her studies for a bachelor’s degree in education sciences in Chihuahua, Mexico. Before moving to Alaska, she worked as a kindergarten and preschool teacher. With that experience, when she moved to Alaska more than a decade ago, she spent two years as a teacher’s assistant in the Spanish Immersion program at Government Hill, in addition to teaching Spanish classes to children on her own. These jobs required a certain level of English that Cristina managed to obtain, but as many immigrants already know, she struggled to communicate effectively.
Initially, Cristina’s vision was to have a small school focused solely on Spanish, as she did not imagine setting her dream outside of her country. Over time, that changed as she realized that many parents were looking for an education that offered the teaching of another language. That’s when she saw an opportunity and began researching the resources needed to start her own preschool. She explored potential locations, looked for small buildings, and consulted with the city of Anchorage on the required documentation. However, after many ideas, Cristina decided not to establish her business elsewhere, but to enrich the family aspect and bring the children into her own home.
Although she had many doubts about whether her house would be a suitable space, everything changed, as she recalls, “when I took out my living room, dining room and other furniture, I said: ‘this is happening for sure, and with what I have, I’m going to start.’” At first, her preschool began with just three children, one of them being her granddaughter, “someone who had a big influence on starting my school,” Cristina said. That’s why the preschool’s name “Mi Casa Es Tu Casa” aligns perfectly with the family-friendly nature of the project: offering preparation to children within a loving home.
For Cristina, family is a fundamental part of her life, something she made very clear when explaining the values and goals of her preschool. For that same reason, her preschool implements activities and learning related to Hispanic culture, and teaches values to children that reflect Mexican influence, especially through kindness. When asked what distinguishes Mi Casa Es Tu Casa from other preschools, Cristina emphasized “the importance of educational quality,” and having a small group has allowed each child to receive enough attention, Cristina tells us.
In addition, another unique aspect is that the children also receive music lessons. The preschool’s philosophy runs so deep that even her daughter Georgina participates every Friday, presenting different instruments, from the violin to the ukulele, since she is also a member of the only mariachi band in Anchorage, Agave Azul. With this and a lot of love, Cristina has created a business that not only contributes to Alaska’s future but is also a beautiful way to instill Hispanic language, culture, and values from a young age.
