Historia

With funding from the Zale Foundation, doctoral students studying under Dr. Urie Bronfenbrenner at Cornell begin piloting the Mother-Infant program in Dallas, TX.

In an expansion of the Dallas model, Dr. Gloria Rodriguez, a teacher and advocate for parent education, founds AVANCE in San Antonio and begins offering PCEP (originally the Mother-Infant Program) at the Mirasol Housing Project on San Antonio’s West Side.  

During his trip to Texas, Prince Charles, now King Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, stopped by San Antonio’s West Side to visit the organization advocating for parent education, AVANCE. 

The New York Times and ABC World News present the widely acclaimed Parent-Child Education Program, and the First Lady, Barbara Bush visits AVANCE for the first time.  

AVANCE expands in Texas with the opening of a new chapter office, AVANCE-Houston. 

AVANCE receives one of the first Nationwide Even Start Program grants to improve the literacy skills and academic achievement of young children and their parents in low-income families.

AVANCE opens the National Headquarters in San Antonio, TX and establishes the first National Board of Directors 

AVANCE-Dallas opens with Lisa Oglesby Rocha as its inaugural Executive Director, a team of five employees, three program sites, and a budget of $300,000.

The US Dept. of Education awards AVANCE-Dallas an Even Start Family Literacy grant. AVANCE opens a new chapter in the state capital, AVANCE-Austin.

AVANCE-Dallas becomes a United Way of Metropolitan Dallas member agency.

AVANCE-Dallas received the Family Literacy Program of the Year award from Dallas Reads.

AVANCE-Dallas has programs at 14 Dallas ISD sites across the county.

AVANCE-Dallas expands to two new sites through two Born Learning grants from the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.

With funding from Bank of America and the Zero to Five Funders’ Collaborative, AVANCE-Dallas grows to a total of 23 program sites.

AVANCE-Dallas celebrates 15 years with Attorneys Serving the Community as the beneficiary for its 25th annual luncheon, featuring keynote speakers Former First Lady Laura Bush and her daughter Jenna Bush Hager.

AVANCE-Dallas adds its first program sites outside of Dallas in Garland and Irving ISDs.

AVANCE receives the H-E-B Excellence in Education Award and the Simmons Luminary Award for Education Excellence for its innovative programming that serves as a model for improving education. 

AVANCE-Dallas holds its first Latino Street Fest, a free, family-friendly event celebrating Latino culture in North Texas.

AVANCE-Dallas opens its first program sites in Fort Worth ISD.

AVANCE opens the first Parent-Family Community Engagement Center in Alamo, TX, serving the broader Rio Grande Valley Region. 

With support from United Way, AVANCE-Dallas launches H.O.P.E.S. (Healthy Outcomes through Prevention & Early Support), which aims to create the best possible environment for children in Dallas County to grow and thrive.

AVANCE-Dallas becomes AVANCE-North Texas, reflecting the organization’s commitment to families across the broader region.

AVANCE-North Texas launches the Well Together program using the “Promotora” model to educate families about mental health and minimize stigma in the Hispanic community.

AVANCE pilots Quality Child Care Matters (QCCM), a new program for family child care providers. The Texas Workforce Commission funds AVANCE to expand QCCM into Austin.

In response to COVID-19, AVANCE adapts the Parent-Child Education Program for virtual delivery. AVANCE becomes an affiliate of UnidosUS.

AVANCE partners with El Paso Community College to pilot AVANCE to College, a program that combines PCEP with exposure to the possibilities and opportunities offered by postsecondary education.

AVANCE hosts the first annual Two-Generation Learning Conference, bringing together staff and educators from PCEP sites all across the network. AVANCE begins a pilot of Families Building Communities, a follow-up leadership development program for PCEP graduates.

AVANCE begins a year-long celebration commemorating 50 years of service, support, and success for Latino families and communities.