AVANCE Announces National Partners

July 6, 2012 - PRLog -- Join AVANCE (ah-vahn-ceh) and Special Guest San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro for a news conference to announce our new partners in the Unlocking America’s Potential Project (UAPP). This event will take place at AVANCE’s National Headquarters located at 118 N. Medina Street, San Antonio, Texas on Tuesday, July 10th, at 11:00 A.M. CST. The news conference can also be seen live on the web at www.avance.org.

AVANCE CEO Richard J. Noriega and Mayor Julian Castro will remark about how educational attainment programs, like AVANCE, directly align to ensure the country’s economic competitiveness and national security. This event will highlight the continued national expansion of AVANCE’s Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP) funded by a $12.6 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

AVANCE’s newest partners from across the country will join via a live feed video stream from across the country. They are: Amistades Inc. in Tucson, AZ; ASPIRA of Florida Inc. in Miami; The Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative in Grand Rapids, MI; and The Family Place Inc. in Washington, D.C.

“AVANCE continues to be well-poised to make a strategic and long-term impact in the economy by providing low-income parents and their children the tools they need to be successful in school and ultimately secure higher paying jobs,” explains Noriega, “providing even more families with hope for a better future.”

At last year’s project launch Mayor Castro said, “There is no other endeavor in our nation that has as much power to change lives and spurn economic growth as education, especially early childhood education. The fact is AVANCE has paved the way for thousands of families to break the cycle of poverty and I am proud to bear witness to their expansion.  This is a life-changing moment for not just AVANCE, or San Antonio, but for communities across the United States.”

Mayor Castro recently made national headlines by supporting a local proposal asking voters for a sales tax increase of one-eighth of a cent that would finance full-day pre-K, primarily for low-income 4-year-olds in the city. San Antonio has also been selected as a 2012 All-America City based for its plan to improve third-grade reading. AVANCE’s President and CEO commends Mayor Castro for his leadership on early childhood learning and remarked, “One of our goals is to help families advance to their full potential and transform the communities in which we live. We are proud to have our national office located in a city that supports early childhood education and is leading the way in early learning initiatives.”

Magdalena G. Santos, who directs AVANCE’s national expansion efforts, explains: “With Kellogg’s support, we have been able to expand the AVANCE program into other ethnically diverse communities across the country and we are thrilled to collaborate with like-minded organizations to ensure that more children enter grade school prepared to succeed.”

For this event, AVANCE has also partnered with NowCastSA, a San Antonio based grassroots project that promotes and facilitates inclusive civic conversation, to stream the press conference live online. Charlotte-Anne Lucas, Managing Director and Online Instigator for NowCastSA, is proud to support AVANCE. “AVANCE is doing great work in San Antonio and across the nation. NOWCastSA's expertise in online multimedia and video production is being put to good use with this news conference. It is very exciting to collaborate and stretch interactive live streaming technology in new ways for this very significant event," Lucas said. Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #avancelive.

AVANCE invites the media and general public to take part in the press conference on July 10th. Guests will be treated to a bilingual performance by AVANCE-San Antonio mothers and their children of the AVANCE Estrellita (Star) song. To watch on the day of the event just visit www.avance.org.

Background Information:

AVANCE: AVANCE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to Unlocking America’s Potential by strengthening families in at-risk communities through effective parent education and support programs.

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. The UAPP 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.

In 2013, AVANCE will celebrate its 40th Anniversary with several events including hosting its National Parent-Child Education Conference. For more information, sponsorship and exhibit opportunities please contact mjohnson.nat@avance.org. Connect with AVANCE on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Mayor Castro: A 37-year-old San Antonio native, Mayor Julian Castro is the youngest mayor of a Top 50 American city. First elected on May 9th, 2009, Mayor Castro handily won re-election in 2011 with nearly 82 percent of the vote.

Throughout his tenure, Mayor Castro has focused on attracting well-paying jobs in 21st century industries, positioning San Antonio to be a leader in the New Energy Economy and raising educational attainment across the spectrum.

Amistades:  The mission of Amistades based in Tucson, Arizona is to provide culturally competent leadership in the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other substance abuse problems affecting Latino youth, families, and elderly. Aspects of the Amistades philosophy include promotion of youth development, reduction of risk-taking behaviors, and building assets and resilience.

ASPIRA of Florida: The mission of ASPIRA of Florida is to foster the social advancement of the Puerto Rican/Latino community by empowering its youth in the pursuit of educational excellence through leadership development programs that emphasize commitment to the community.

The Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative: The Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative in Grand Rapids, MI creates and provides targeted neighborhood collaborative partners with technical, developmental and educational support in order to increase the accessibility of early educational resources for vulnerable children.

The Family Place: The mission of The Family Place based in Washington, DC is to empower low-income families to foster the optimal development of their young children through educational and support services. The Family Place achieves its mission by offering services in three program areas: Family Literacy, Family Wellness, and Family Stability.