In 2008 Roblealto received a total of 337 applications from families with a combined total of 512 children. Of these applications 292 were filled out completely, with a total of 443 children. 115 of these families met Roblealto´s need requirements and were accepted into the program. In total, Roblealto accepted 163 new children into their program in 2008.

Of these 115 families, 74% were single parent households. Another 23% were two-parent families, while the remaining 3% came from extended families such as grandparents or aunts and uncles. Of the 74% of single parent households accepted into the program, 98.6% were single mothers. 64.3% of these households are of Costa Rican origin, 31% were Nicaraguan, 2.3% were Colombian, and the remaining 2.3% were from other nationalities. The remaining 1.4% of single parent households were single fathers. Of these, 67% were Costa Rican and 33% were Nicaraguans.

Of the applications from two-parent families, 47% had both parents of Costa Rican origin. 41% had both parents of Nicaraguan origin. 1.5% had both parents of Colombian origin and 1.5% had both parents of the same origin but from a different country than the above mentioned. The remaining 9% of two-parent families accepted were of various nationalities.

The Roblealto Association serves the most vulnerable children from some of the most impoverished communities. These children suffer mostly from issues of abandonment and negligence. Other issues these children face are behavioral issues, emotional instability, psychological issues, and suicidal thoughts and attempts. Roblealto provides services to help children to deal with their problems, have hope for their futures, and develop a healthy self-esteem. The help for the children can result in them becoming productive members of society when they grow up.

In 2008, the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INEC) found that the national average of education in Costa Rica was 9th grade. This number was lower for families in extreme poverty, many of whom do not complete grade school. The INEC indicated a correlation between poverty and low levels of literacy and education.

75% of the children accepted into all the Roblealto programs come from families with little formal education or who did not complete high school. Due to lower levels of formal education, some families experience additional problems with employment, health, lack of insurance, and affordable housing.

Of the children accepted, 10% came from families that were unemployed. According to the 2008 statistics from INEC, the national average for unemployment at this time was 4.9%. The majority of applications in 2008 were received in the months of February, July, September, October, and November. These five months represented 55% of the total number of applications. In 2007, 279 families with a total of 409 children applied for services at Roblealto.

The increase in acceptance in 2008 was due largely to an increase in openings in the 15 de Septiembre child care center. The Roblealto Association is grateful they are able to provide resources to the families and children that are most vulnerable in our society. Conclusively, we feel that our Association is able to effectively meet our mission, vision, objectives, and institutional values.