Press Releases

Rural South Texas counties to receive school readiness and family support services.

AVANCE–San Antonio, has been awarded a five year $8,189,470.00 grant from the Office of Head Start, within the Administration of Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to provide Head Start and Early Head Start services in Uvalde, Zavala, Edwards, Kinney and Real counties.

On May 7th, 2012 AVANCE-San Antonio was one of several entities notified that it had been selected as the Head Start/Early Head Start Replacement Grantee for what is commonly referred to as, the Wintergarden Head Start Service Area, and will provide direct family support and educational school readiness services to 612 Head Start and 68 Early Head Start eligible children and their families in a center and home-based option setting.  AVANCE-San Antonio plans to engage an array of community agencies and local Independent School Districts to ensure high quality family and child development educational services that promote school readiness.

“For AVANCE-SAN Antonio this is a wonderful opportunity to further our outreach into five rural communities and test the success of AVANCE’s proven model. We are thrilled to work with more families and help prepare their children to become school-ready. We help parents understand that they are their child’s first teacher, and their home is the first classroom. We teach AVANCE parents how to be their children’s advocates and support their academic goals,” said Rebecca Cervantez, Executive Director of AVANCE-San Antonio.

The need for Head Start services in the Wintergarden Service Area is high. Combined, the five county areas have a population in excess of 46,000 residents, with 3,696 being children under the age of five years old. The poverty rate in the two most densely populated counties range from 24% (Uvalde County) to 35% (Zavala County). Overall 43% of the children under the age of five are living in poverty, with 37% of households being single parent households and 20% of the adult population having attained less than a 9th grade education.

“Another well-deserving community is going to receive vital early childhood services, and that’s what AVANCE’s work is all about, preparing the children to be school ready. Because of our alignment with the goals of The Office of Head Start we can comfortably apply the AVANCE model and mission within this new found capacity. AVANCE and Head Start are natural partners,” concluded, Dr. Glendelia M. Zavala, AVANCE’s Chief Program Officer.

AVANCE-San Antonio receives this Head Start grant following their recent win of the highly esteemed and competitive H-E-B Excellence in Education Early Childhood Award due to their passion and historical success in offering quality early childhood education and care. The HEB award includes a $25,000 grant that AVANCE-San Antonio can apply towards their existing early learning programs.

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40th Anniversary Celebration: AVANCE will celebrate 40 years of serving families in 2013. Details surrounding AVANCE’s anniversary events and its 1st Annual Parent-Child Education Conference are forthcoming. For more information, sponsorship, and exhibit opportunities please contact mjohnson.nat@avance.org.

AVANCE (ah-vahn-ceh) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to Unlocking America’s Potential by strengthening families in at-risk communities through effective parent education and support programs. Connect with AVANCE on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

Head Start is a federal program that promotes school readiness of children zero to five years of age from low-income families by enhancing their physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development. Many Head Start programs also provide Early Head Start, which serves infants, toddlers, pregnant women and their families who have incomes below the federal poverty level.

The Office of Head Start is responsible for oversight of the grant to ensure the performance standards are met and the best quality care is provided to the enrolled children.

Click to download and view the request for proposal as a PDF.

AVANCE (ah-vahn-ceh), a nonprofit organization that provides parenting and early childhood education programs along with other family support services, is accepting proposals to enter into a re-grant agreement with AVANCE to implement their comprehensive nine month Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP).

Beginning in 2010, with a $12.6 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, AVANCE created the Unlocking America’s Potential Project (UAPP) to expand the evidence-based PCEP across the United States. AVANCE is re-granting funds over a three year time period (2011, 2012, and 2013) to twelve qualified organizations serving low-income Hispanic families.

The UAPP Re-grant allows for a one-time payment of $50,000 to selected organizations to help with initial setup costs to implement the PCEP. AVANCE provides intensive training to the staff selected to deliver the program, along with technical assistance, monitoring, and evaluation visits. Throughout the project, the best practices of each partner and AVANCE are shared to develop creative innovations and help improve the learning environment for participating families and AVANCE’s peers.

“The release of this third and final UAPP Request For Proposal marks a major milestone. We have just recently secured the 2012 re-grant partners and are awaiting a preliminary report from The National Institute of Early Education Research (NIEER) regarding the longitudinal research component of the project,” explained Magdalena G. Santos, AVANCE Project Director. “At this point, we are ecstatic at the accomplishments of our new found partners. These are exciting times in early childhood education and it is wonderful to be part of creating partnerships and innovations that will have a lasting impact on generations to come.”

The recipients of the 2012 UAPP Re-grants are are Amistades, Inc. in Tucson, AZ; Easter Seals Goodwill Industries in New Haven, CT; and The Family Place in Washington, D.C. They were selected due to their alignment with AVANCE’s mission, organizational structure, accreditation and evidence of impact within their communities among other criteria.

Since 1973, AVANCE has been dedicated to Unlocking America’s Potential by strengthening families in at-risk communities through effective parent education and support programs. The organization’s comprehensive PCEP has been proven to improve the school readiness of children zero to three years of age, and has life changing impacts on Latino families through partnerships with community-based organizations.

AVANCE President and CEO, Richard J. Noriega, said, “Our expansion efforts are being realized in a major way. The project has allowed us to serve more families than ever before and thrust AVANCE into leading the way in parent and early childhood education.”

To download the RFP  click here. Monitor www.avance.org for project updates and announcements.

The Next Big Thing: AVANCE will celebrate 40 years of serving families in 2013. Details surrounding AVANCE’s anniversary events and 1st Annual Parent-Child Education Conference are forthcoming. For more information, sponsorship and exhibit opportunities please contact mjohnson.nat@avance.org.

April 7, 2012 – Official Statement from AVANCE on the passing of Bernard Rapoport

Join over 1,000 parents and children attending AVANCE-San Antonio’s 5th Annual Dia De La Familia in partnership with HEB on Saturday, April 14, 2012 at Rosedale Park in San Antonio, TX. Bring your family to laugh, learn, play and read together.

Download the flyer here

Looking for Pareniting Tips, want more AVANCE news, want to connect with AVANCE Alumni – then check out the 2012 Spring Parenting Newsletter below.  Help us unlock America’s potential by sharing it with your family and friends.

Share your thoughts, tips, and comments at media@avance.org.

Click here to view and download PDF format.

AVANCE, Inc. will announce the winners of the Unlocking America’s Potential Project Grant on February 29, 2012.

The UAPP re-grant allows for a one-time payment of $50,000 to selected organizations to help with initial setup costs to implment AVANCE’s Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP). AVANCE also provides intensive training and technical assistance, along with monitoring and evaluation visits.  Beyond providing financial assistance to implement the PCEP, UAPP is determined to contribute to the global learning community by facilitating peer networking and creative innovations, while also conducting longitudinal research.

With a $12.6 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation , AVANCE created the Unlocking America’s Potential Project (UAPP) to expand its evidence-based Parent-Child Education Program across the United States. As part of the project, AVANCE is re-granting funds over a three year time period to twelve qualified organizations serving low-income Hispanic families in order to adopt the PCEP.

Important Dates

September 15, 2011 RFP released

Sep. 16 – January 31, 2012 Proposals Accepted

Jan. 31, 2012, 5:00 PM CST Deadline for Proposal Submission

Feb 1, 2011 – Feb. 28, 2012 Review of Proposals

February 29, 2012 Announcement of Winning Proposals

Dallas, TX - Jan 27, 2012 – update
AVANCE, Inc. was honored on January 26th at the 2012 Simmons Luminary Awards by the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development for pioneering new means of improving children’s education.

AVANCE received the award along with Joan Ganz Cooney, Sesame Workshop and the Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers. The awards are given to individuals or agencies that have created evidence-based research and innovative programs, which served as longtime models for improving education, encouraging hope in communities and strengthening at-risk communities.

The Simmons School established the Luminary Award in 2009 to recognize individuals and organizations that have invested large amounts of time and resources into education as a tool of empowerment.  

AVANCE is a non-profit that provides a Parent-Child Education Program to predominantly low income Hispanic families. The program aids parents in becoming actively involved with their children’s development and is a model for parent-child outreach programs across the nation.

“It was a night filled with inspiring highlights of all three Luminary Awardees educational programs. The proudest moment, however, was when one of our own AVANCE parent graduates, Mildred Garcia, shared her experience in the Parent-Child Education Program,” explained Dr. Glendelia Zavala, AVANCE Chief Program Officer, “It brought tears to many attendees who went up to Mildred after the program was over to congratulate her.”                        

In an emotional testimony, Mildred shared with the audience about being the first generation in her family to attend college and how AVANCE saved her family, “I cannot imagine where my family would be now, because our previous past was on a completely opposite path. Thank you AVANCE for impacting my family’s future.”

Olga Llamas Rodriguez, Vice Chair of the AVANCE National Board of Directors, accepted the Luminary Award. Rodriguez said the AVANCE program works because it educates both the parent and child. “Everyday our educators work tirelessly and it is very gratifying to know their hard work is being recognized. I share this recognition with them and the thousands of families we serve. I especially want to share this award with our Dallas Chapter; with AVANCE-Dallas Former Executive Director, Lisa Olgesby; her staff and the Dallas Board of Directors. This recognition would not have been possible without their tireless efforts,” said Rodriguez, “We will cherish this recognition from the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development at SMU as it exemplifies the importance of what AVANCE does.”
                                                                     
AVANCE is one of the oldest, largest and most distinguished parenting/early education programs in the country. Since 1973, AVANCE has continued to provide innovative education and family support services to predominantly Hispanic families in underprivileged communities. Dedicated to promoting school readiness and supporting family engagement, AVANCE proudly serves as the national model and best practice of early childhood education for parents, teachers, the scientific community and general public.

SMU is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today, SMU enrolls nearly 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools.

Children’s educational television was a new concept in 1968 when the Children’s Television Workshop created “Sesame Street,” a television show designed to help children prepare for school. The program now teaches children throughout the world, most recently with a new presence in Afghanistan.

The Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Services has served Dallas children since 1920, opening its first camp for orphans in 1921. Since then the organization has provided residential and community programs specializing in education and therapeutic services to at-risk children and their families. The club in 1997 opened the J. Erik Jonsson Community School, a researched-based laboratory school for at-risk children in Oak Cliff.