After watching numerous moms walk through our food lines at BFA with their young children, ACL leaders asked themselves, “What more could we do to address childhood poverty?” The answer: early childhood development.

Consequently, the organization established a childcare facility in an East Austin childcare desert. ACL volunteers and donors helped open Mariposa Family Learning Center in 2020. Mariposa, with the help of generous donations, currently provides financial support to 20 working families that otherwise would not be able to afford high-quality child care. Once up and running, Mariposa was spun off from ACL as a separate nonprofit, governed by its own board.  ACL remains a significant financial contributor to the exceptional educational efforts of Mariposa.