WELCOME

Abeona House Child Discovery Center is a non-profit formed in November 2005 by parents whose children attended one of nearly 200 centers that did not re-open after Katrina. Parents volunteered nearly 2,000 hours toward our September 2006 opening. We opened on historic Oak Street with a full roster and now have a growing waiting list and are planning for a second location close to the central business district.

Our purpose is to support families through high-quality childcare for their children, a sense of community, and the co-creation of learning opportunities between children, parents, teachers and the larger community.

Through the nine-month process of creating Abeona House, and the more than a year it has been open, a strong network of families, teachers and merchants along our location on Oak Street has emerged. In fact, the Abeona story bears a strong resemblance to that of the schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy. After World War II, families in the town of Reggio Emilia gathered the bricks from bombed out buildings, and with volunteers from all corners of the community, together they built a school. Reggio Emilia-inspired schools such as Abeona House continue to thrive with this powerful legacy of collaboration as a guide, and have been described by Newsweek as some of the “best schools in the world.”

Abeona House is a full-time, year-round, not-for-profit child care center. Hours of care are 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM, and we serve children ranging in age from 6 weeks to 5 years.

As an organization, we value:

Community
connecting with our neighborhoods, and supporting local businesses and New Orleans' recovery

Lifelong learning
for children, parents and teachers

Reciprocal relationships
and collaboration between children, families, teachers and community

Environment as the third teacher
filled with beauty, simplicity, nature, the warmth of home, and documentation of children's learning

Socioeconomic and ethnic diversity
celebrating each family’s uniqueness

Individuality of children
including diversity in ability

Balancing livable wages and affordable tuition
as part of our mission to respect children, families and teachers

Joi de Vivre
and a loyalty to our New Orleans heritage