Meeting people where they’re at: recs from Flor Bañuelos

At Hacienda Community Development Corporation, Flor Bañuelos and her team start their work by building connections. Bañuelos manages an early childhood education visiting program that supports Latino families.

“We go into community spaces and into people’s homes,” Bañuelos explains. “Sometimes families are at their most vulnerable, and they welcome us in. We work alongside them and help them connect to resources.” While the program may not always provide the resources directly, it helps families navigate systems and connect with trusted community partners to help them get the support they need.

Early childhood education is at the heart of their work. “Every family is different,” Bañuelos shares. “We meet them where they’re at and go from there.” Home visitors support caregivers in understanding childhood development and building strong connections with their children. 

A focus of the program is helping families see challenges in a new way. “It’s not that a child won’t do something,” Bañuelos says. “It’s that we’re building the building blocks so that they can.” The program uses a strength-based approach that honors the family's culture. “We’re not telling families how to raise their children,” she adds. “We’re giving information so they can choose what works best for them.”

This work is personal for Bañuelos. Growing up Latina, she sees similarities between her own family and those she serves. “There are a lot of things our parents were never given as children,” she says. “Now families are learning how to support their kids socially and emotionally.”

Bañuelos started as a home visitor herself and now manages the program. Because she’s done the work, she understands how emotionally demanding it can be. “You leave some home visits feeling completely spun around,” she says. As a manager, she focuses on supporting staff. “I can support them because I’ve been there.”

Bañuelos is proud of other work happening at Hacienda CDC, especially Arrobas, a free community program supporting digital literacy and offering learning labs and makerspaces. Each location has different tools, but they are welcoming to all with no cost. They offer creative tools like sewing machines, sticker makers, resin printers and much more. “It’s open to community members,” Bañuelos says. “We want people to come in and use it!” 

When asked what activism means to her, Bañuelos describes it as something built in small ways. “I think of it as small stepping stones,” she says. “You’re building a bridge so others can follow if they need to.” For her, activism includes “standing up for people who aren’t comfortable raising their voice” and “pulling up a chair for someone who should be at the table but isn’t.”

Bañuelos’ recommendations:

• Break the Cycle by Dr. Mariel Buqué: “It’s a beautiful read and a painful read ... it helps you see what was passed down and how you can stop it.”
• Self-Care for Latinas by Raquel Reichard: “Pull what feels right from it. .... It has really good gems for slowing down.”
• The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: “I brain dump [in this book] every morning. You don’t reread it — you just get it out.”
• And just for fun, she recommends Lotería by Cynthia Pelayo, a collection of short horror stories inspired by the popular card game.

If you want to get more involved, Bañuelos recommends thinking about what you’re passionate about, finding a local organization that wants support, and showing up. “The most important part is to show up,” she says. To Bañuelos, the cost of gathering in a community is that it can be inconvenient — but, even with that cost, it’s just as essential. 

Through steady care and open communication, Bañuelos shows how strong communities are built: one relationship at a time. 

These recommendations are a fantastic place to get started. Make sure to check out the full series!

Feeling inspired? Want to dive into activism yourself? In February, learn how to make change happen in a civics for adults course.

If you’re itching for even more books to read, check out our community care and activism reading list.