OUR STORY
Gabriela Garduño and Veronica Fuentes have more than two decades of combined experience in early childhood education and bilingual instruction inside the DC education system. They share a commitment to culturally responsive, play-based learning experiences that build strong cognitive, emotional, and linguistic foundations for young children.
Nido Early Learning Academy L.L.C. is organized as a District of Columbia Domestic Limited Liability Company, member-managed, with Gabriela and Veronica each holding a 50% ownership stake.
THE CO-FOUNDERS
CO-FOUNDER & EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR
Gabriela brings extensive experience in early childhood education and bilingual instruction within the Washington, DC education system. Her career has been dedicated to developing and implementing curricula that serve diverse, multilingual populations.
As Educational Director, Gabriela oversees curriculum design, classroom quality, teacher hiring and development, OSSE compliance, and parent relations.
CO-FOUNDER & EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR
Veronica brings extensive experience in early childhood education and bilingual instruction within the DC education system. As Educational Director, she partners with Gabriela on curriculum, classroom quality, teacher hiring and development, OSSE compliance, and parent relations.
OUR MISSION
Washington, DC is one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the country. Yet truly bilingual early education — not a program bolted onto English, but a lived bilingual experience — remains rare and often inaccessible. NIDO exists to change that. We believe the years from two to five are the most important window in a child's language development, and we refuse to let that window close without filling it with both languages, with confidence, and with joy.
OUR VALUES
Being bilingual is not a skill we teach — it is an identity we nurture. Children at NIDO grow up knowing that speaking two languages is a gift, not a challenge, and that both of their languages belong fully to them.
Parents and caregivers are not drop-off customers. They are partners. We communicate honestly, welcome them into the classroom, and make space at every decision for the people who know their children best.
A child who loves school learns more than a child who merely attends it. We take the research seriously and we take play seriously. The two are the same thing in the early years, and we will never choose one over the other.
Every child at NIDO — regardless of background, language history, family structure, or ability — belongs here completely. We design for belonging from the materials on the shelf to the names in the books to the food on the table.
AT A GLANCE
DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Total capacity across six classrooms
Infants, Toddlers & Twos, Pre-K4
Now enrolling for Fall 2026
Spanish immersion with dedicated English blocks
JOIN THE NEST
The best way to understand NIDO is to stand in the classrooms and meet the people who built them. Open houses are monthly and limited to six families.
