PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – At-risk students and their families were pampered for free today on the Pueblo Community College campus. The event is called Santa Self-Care Day and was created to help families who needed a little help during the holidays.

Cosmetology students at Pueblo Community College came together for the second year in a row to provide students and their families with free haircuts and nail services.

The idea for this event came about when truancy court judges noticed that many of the families they were seeing had hygiene issues. They learned that many children weren’t going to school because they didn’t feel comfortable because of the way they looked.

So the state’s collaborative management program launched “Santa Self-Care Day.” The state program said that after their first event, the pampered students had a nearly 100 percent attendance rate through December.

This year, several D60 principals allowed their students to attend the event.

Organizers estimated that 200 students and families benefited from these services.

“I’ve been there before. I’ve been there. I came there because, like, sometimes people can have a hard time supporting their family, like not being able to pay for their haircut. So this would be a good…something that’s good for families that can’t really afford a lot of things,” said Jordan Aguilar, a student.

As of 2022, Pueblo Community College’s cosmetology program has helped more than 100 at-risk students and their families.

In total, the services offered today by PCC students are valued at more than $1,000.