Nurturing Center
History of the Nurturing Center
Founded in 2016, the Nurturing Center emerged in response to a growing need for family-centered support in Taos County. Rooted in relational, culturally responsive care, our mission is to support families navigating intergenerational poverty, trauma, and substance use. At the heart of the Nurturing Center is a passionate and dedicated staff whose advocacy efforts have earned the deep trust of the community. As a vital resource embedded in schools and homes, our team works tirelessly to meet families where they are, bridging gaps left by traditional systems.
Programs Available
Family Navigation
Helping caregivers, especially grandparents, access services, navigate school systems, and advocate for their families.
School-Based Support
Providing daily emotional and behavioral support for students within their school environments.
Nurturing Kinship Program
Offering specialized support for kinship caregivers navigating guardianship and custody systems.
Collaboration with Clinical Services
Coordinating with licensed therapists at Taos Behavioral Health and regional partners, including outreach through Growing Strong.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Delivering evidence-based groups and individual support to foster emotional regulation, communication, and healing.
Current Initiative: Healing and Enrichment Through Connection
The Growing Strong initiative provides healing non-clinical services that center mentorship, joy, and community connection. Too often, children affected by parental substance use, poverty, and trauma are denied transformative opportunities like skiing, equine therapy, hiking, fishing, or the arts. Growing Strong eliminates barriers by covering costs, offering transportation, and connecting youth with enriching activities that reflect their interests and cultural identity. Serving 75–100 children annually, the program nurtures resilience and belonging for Taos youth.
Support Our Work
Your donation bridges critical gaps for families in Taos County. Whether it funds a ski pass, ensures a child has warm clothing, or helps a caregiver keep the lights on, every contribution builds lasting impact.
The Sparkle Fund Covers extracurricular activity fees and opens doors to transformative experiences such as skiing, equine therapy, hiking, fishing, dance, theater, and art classes.
Keep the Lights on Fund assists families with essential utility costs and emergency home needs.
Clothe a Child Fund provides seasonally appropriate clothing, coats, and shoes so children can thrive with dignity.
Multiple Donation Options
Growing Strong
A Path to Resilience for Youth of Taos County
A Program of The Nurturing Center at Taos Behavioral Health
Growing Strong is a youth resilience initiative created by The Nurturing Center in direct response to what our staff saw every day in Taos County schools and homes. Too many young people were carrying the weight of parental substance use, grief, instability, and adversity alone. Families were doing their best with limited resources, navigating complex systems without support. Children were showing up at school overwhelmed, disconnected, and unsure how to cope with what life had handed them.
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Growing Strong was developed to change that.
What We Do
Growing Strong provides consistent, relational, culturally responsive support for children and teens who have been impacted by parental substance use, incarceration, or trauma. We help young people build resilience, strengthen emotional skills, and experience meaningful connection through activities that honor their identities and ignite their potential.
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Our team works directly in schools, homes, and community spaces, meeting youth where they are and walking with them through challenges. We provide ongoing skill-building, mentorship, caregiver support, and access to enriching experiences that many families have never been able to access before.
Why It Matters
Children who face chronic stress and adversity need more than interventions. They need safety. They need consistent caring adults. They need opportunities to grow.
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Growing Strong builds protective factors that buffer the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The program is an upstream model deeply rooted in health-equity principles, addressing the social determinants of health that shape outcomes for rural Northern New Mexico families.
How We Support Youth
Growing Strong combines:
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Individual relational support with trained youth navigators
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Group-based social-emotional skill building
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Experiential and outdoor learning such as skiing, rafting, hiking, and art
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Academic encouragement, mentoring, and school engagement
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Caregiver navigation and kinship guardianship support through the NC
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Referrals and warm handoffs to clinical services at Taos Behavioral Health
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Growing Strong provides services to families at no cost, eliminating the financial barrier that made extracurricular activities out of reach. Youth do not just participate in a program, they join a community that sees them, believes in them, and champions their growth.
Meet the Nurturing Center Team
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
Director of the Nurturing Centers
Siena Sanderson, MFA
Siena Sanderson is the visionary leader behind the Nurturing Centers, which she founded in 2016 in response to the growing needs of children and families navigating adversity in Taos County. With more than twenty-five years of dedicated service in education, family support, and community-based programming, Siena has shaped the Nurturing Centers into a trusted and transformative resource for families across the region.​​
Her career reflects deep commitment to healing, creativity, and accessibility. Siena has worked with survivors of domestic violence through Community Against Violence, supported early childhood and family systems through Las Cumbres Community Services, and served for ten years as a certified art teacher in Taos Municipal Schools. Her innovative spirit led her to develop a traveling summer art program that brought arts programming directly into local housing communities, infusing opportunities for creativity into the lives of children regardless of their circumstances.
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Under Siena’s leadership, the Nurturing Centers now support more than two hundred families each year through school-based navigation, kinship guardianship assistance, behavioral health collaboration, and culturally responsive youth development. Siena’s capacity to weave together compassion, structure, and community voice has made her one of the most respected family advocates in Taos County. In 2024, she was honored with the Taos News Unsung Hero Award in recognition of her steadfast service to children and caregivers.
Nurturing Kinship Program Coordinator
Candy Allen
Candy Allen is a cornerstone of kinship support in Taos County. With decades of experience in family systems advocacy and crisis response, Candy has transformed the landscape of kinship guardianship navigation for relatives raising children affected by parental substance use, incarceration, or loss.
Her professional background includes serving as a Domestic Violence Case Manager for the Eighth Judicial District Court, Shelter Manager for Community Against Violence, and Program Coordinator for the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren initiative at Las Cumbres Community Services. These roles have given her unparalleled expertise in supporting caregivers who must navigate complex legal, emotional, and educational challenges in order to provide a safe and stable home.
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Candy developed the kinship guardianship framework now used by the Nurturing Center. This systems-level model supports grandparents, aunts, uncles, and extended kin as they work through court processes, school requirements, and social service networks. Her guidance has stabilized dozens of families and prevented unnecessary out-of-home placements by ensuring children remain connected to their relatives and cultural roots.
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Candy’s leadership was recognized in 2024 when she received the Taos News Unsung Hero Award, celebrating her tireless dedication and the profound impact of her work.
Nurturing Center Coordinator
Valerie Ely, AA
Valerie Ely serves as the Nurturing Center Coordinator at Ranchos Elementary School, where she brings warmth, insight, and strong community relationships to her work with students and families. Since joining the team in 2022, Valerie has become an essential presence in the school community, known for her steady encouragement, cultural understanding, and deep empathy.
With an Associate of Arts degree from Sheridan College and a long history of leadership in local parent committees, athletic boards, and school-based initiatives, Valerie understands the real-life pressures families face. As a mother of six, she carries firsthand knowledge of the balancing act caregivers perform as they navigate school responsibilities, financial challenges, and community life.
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Valerie’s ability to connect authentically with families, especially those experiencing trauma or systemic barriers, has strengthened family engagement throughout Ranchos Elementary. She has created a welcoming, inclusive school climate where caregivers feel understood, supported, and empowered. In 2024, Valerie was honored with the Taos News Unsung Hero Award for her outstanding service and her unwavering commitment to the well-being of children and families.