AVANCE to College

AVANCE to College

“In the end, the American dream is not a sprint or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don’t always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor.”

~Julian Castro

Solid Foundation

Since 1973, AVANCE has been delivering our core program, the Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP), which puts equity into practice by building on families' strengths and supporting their individual needs to advance equitable outcomes for parents/young children. Our PCEP supports parents to develop responsive parenting skills that promote healthy brain architecture in children, reduce sources of stress, and build resilience. The curriculum and learning sessions build on parents’ cultural capital and support peer connection, idea sharing, and new concepts. PCEP teaches parents they are their child’s first and most important teacher, and the home is the first classroom.

Exposure to the possible

In 2021, we designed a new implementation model for PCEP that would strengthen our two-generation approach and directly impact the economic mobility of our families. This newly developed model requires collaboration with local workforce boards and community colleges, and combines PCEP with exposure to the possibilities and opportunities offered by postsecondary education and workforce development.

 

From this model, we created the AVANCE to College program, which we piloted in El Paso with Workforce Solutions Borderplex and El Paso Community College (EPCC). Through the partnership, EPCC listed PCEP as a non-credit bearing course, so when parents enrolled in PCEP, they became an EPCC student. By implementing PCEP onsite at community college campuses, we aim to streamline and facilitate low-income Latino families’ transition to continued education, whether as first-time or returning students. Parents learn about the institutions as well as opportunities and resources available to support them in pursuing their education, and they become acquainted with staff and students who help demystify stereotypes about postsecondary education.

The inaugural cohort of the AVANCE to College program graduated 16 parents, and shortly after graduation, 100% of those graduates were already enrolled in education courses and/or a workforce program. AVANCE to College has been so successful that the program is being replicated in Central Texas, with our Austin Chapter leading the initiative in partnership with Austin Community College and Workforce Solutions Capital Area.

Impact

94%

of parents showed an increase in parent empowerment

100%

of parents increased positive parent-child interactions

63%

of parents reported an increase in social connectedness

31%

of parents increased knowledge of child development and school readiness

Get Involved!

AVANCE to College is currently offered through El Paso Community College in El Paso, TX and through Austin Community College in Austin, TX.

 

If you are interested in bringing the AVANCE to College program to your community please contact us to learn how you can become a licensee.

El Paso Community College, Valle Verde Campus
Phone: (915) 831-3722, Website: www.epcc.edu

Austin Community College District
Phone: 512-223-7000, Website: www.austincc.edu