Dallas, TX – October 17, 2012– Parents Step Ahead is launching its parent programs in San Antonio for the first time and is expanding its number of school partnerships throughout Texas. In partnership with Educational Testing Service (ETS) and Northside ISD, Parents Step Ahead was chosen to address the need of parental engagement within the district with workshops, which all include a community resource fair.
The first event was held at Cable Elementary on Thursday, October 11 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with more than 550 parents and students attending the parent program. The school also saw 100% participation from school staff, all who volunteered during the event and made various phone calls to parents inviting them to attend. “The partnership ETS has provided us with Parents Step Ahead has been indeed a blessing and a great success,” said Rosie Siller, Principal at Cable Elementary. “Thank you for bringing these families to us.”
The workshops began with a staff panel answering questions from families on various parent needs and concerns. A second workshop, “Common Sense Parenting,” was held by a guest presenter from Boys Town on how to effectively communicate with children. Following the seminars families were encouraged to attend a community resource fair with local organizations such as: ¡Adelante! U.S. Educational Fund, Avenida Guadalupe Association, Comerica Bank, Educational Testing Service, Family Service Association, Good Samaritan Community Center, LATINA Style Magazine, and San Antonio Food Bank. The program included a free meal provided by McDonald’s, free childcare, and ended with the raffle of a desktop computer and other prizes.
Parents Step Ahead and ETS are partnering with Cable Elementary to educate and enable families in the area, particularly those parents who have not been involved before with the school. “Parents Step Ahead is an organization that we’re proud to be working with because parent involvement is key to education,” affirmed Meredith Christiansen, Executive Director of the K–12 EL initiative for ETS. “Improving education worldwide is what ETS’ mission is all about.”
“Parents Step Ahead is creating that bridge and relationship among schools and the community to help parents prepare their children for college,” said Lupita Colmenero, Founder of Parents Step Ahead. “It is with the contribution and commitment of our generous sponsors that we were able to make this expansion possible.”
Sponsors of the Parents Step Ahead expansion to San Antonio include: Educational Testing Service, McDonald’s, Comerica Bank and AARP.
Parents Step Ahead is a 501-C3 nonprofit organization with a mission “to recognize, educate, enable and empower parents to take a proactive role in the educational and personal development of their children.” The organization works in partnership with corporations and community organizations to offer a series of programs for parents to demonstrate the importance of parental involvement. Programs are free and include dinner, childcare, and the raffle of prizes and culminate with the raffle of a desktop computer.
