August 2010 E-Newsletter
Changing Trends through Educational Impact
Greeting from Executive Director
Dear Friend,
Did you know
that Texas ranks 43rd of the 50 states for the percent of children in poverty?
Last month the
KIDS COUNT Data Center, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation,
released its 2010
KIDS COUNT Data Book assessing
the state of children in the U.S. on all kinds of indicators, including the
poverty rates. While Texas improved in some areas, the high child poverty
rate—nearly a quarter of Texas children—indicates that we need to prioritize
our young children. If we want them to succeed in school and society, we need
to make sure their families can provide for their needs.
Texas KIDS COUNT Director Dr. Frances Deviney
observes, "Many of our kids have lost their college savings during the
recession, and some have even had their homes taken away, as a result of their
parents losing a job. We simply cannot continue taking away from our
children." Find out more
in the KIDS
COUNT press release for Texas.
Here at Avance-Dallas we’re giving families the
tools they need to make sure they can care for their children’s early needs.
Together, we can change the trend and get our children out of poverty.
Lisa Oglesby
Rocha
Executive
Director
Azarel Shares the Joy of Reading
Azarel’s mother, Mildred, describes her son’s
fascination with reading and her hopes for his future:
“Here is one of the amazing things that my son is
doing thanks to Avance-Dallas.
It’s so cute, and to me he is the most intelligent boy in the whole world. Of
course I always think that—maybe because he’s my son!
“Without me telling him, he sits his little boy
doll down and will start reading to the toy using the words that he knows and describing
what’s happening in the book. In this case he loves cars, and he will also
include his car toys in his story.
“He doesn’t know that I’ve watched him do this so
many times. He is not even 2 years old yet. Imagine if he is doing that
now what I can expect from him 20 years from now. I’m so proud of him.”
Meet Juana
Lorena, One of Our First Promotoras
The following account is Juana Lorena’s story
in her own words:
I had a
daughter in pre-kindergarten, my one-year old son, and a newborn girl. One day
when I was walking with my child in the stroller and my daughter in my arms,
someone from Avance approached me
to invite me to the program. I asked myself when she approached me “How can
this lady be inviting me? Doesn’t she see my kids?”
I felt tied
up because my children were very young, and I knew that they needed me 24 hours
a day. I declined her invitation, but was surprised when she continued to talk
to me about the program. I explained to her that I had my young children, and
she told me what the Avance program
was about and that my children and I were all welcome. I saw a light in this
program and hoped that they could help me with the depression I felt from the
tension of everyday life.
I got a lot
of strength from Avance, and I
discovered how many mistakes I was making as a mother. I had always wanted to
continue my education, but with the arrival of my children I thought it was no
longer an option. Another obstacle was that I could not drive, I could not
transport myself to other places, but in Avance
I realized how much I could do—I just had to be patient and find the right
moment.
While
participating in the program my son cried a lot, but the teachers were patient
and showed dedication to him. They encouraged me to talk to his pediatrician
because he was not reacting like other children his age—my son was
communicating with me and others only through babble. He was referred for an
evaluation, and even though he was not eligible, they began to give him
language and occupational therapy. When he started school he was diagnosed with
autism, but since he had previously received therapy, that helped his
condition. I’m very grateful for Avance-Dallas
because my child was moving along in the program and received therapy before he
even started school.
I was elated to
graduate from Avance. Over time I
invited other moms to go to the program, and when I found out that I could go
back to the new Promotoras Program, I immediately wanted to enroll because it
was a way to continue my education and continue learning as a mother. I’m
privileged now to take information to other moms about children and how to
understand them; it is a beautiful thing to give back the blessings that I have
received.
My mission
now as a Promotora is to provide the families I visit with information about
the importance of early childhood so they’re aware of the mistakes a parent can
make without realizing it. But Avance
informs and supports parents and connects them with agencies that can help meet
family needs. Avance-Dallas
provides all these helpful resources and knowledge.
2009–2010 Impact
In the
2009–2010 year, Avance-Dallas changed
the lives of 958 children and 816 parents. Here are some of the details from
our services in the community this year:
– We provided
programming at 35 sites on Dallas ISD, Mesquite ISD, and Irving ISD elementary
school campuses
– 761
children attended enriched Early Childhood Development Program classes
– 632 parents
became their child’s first teacher in our Parent Education Program
– 132 parents
improved their English in ESL classes
– 47 parents
advanced their education in GED classes
– 13 parents
earned their GED
– 245
families received assistance during crises through the HOPE Program
– 184
families nurtured a love of reading in the Parent-Child Book Clubs
– 236 moms
and dads strengthened their relationship in Marriage Workshops
– Our
parents volunteered a whopping 46,096 hours in the community
– 506
volunteers contributed to furthering the Avance-Dallas
mission
– 51 Avance-Dallas staff members made all of these
accomplishments possible
Since we
first launched our program in 1996, we’ve advanced nearly 12,000 individuals. A
special thanks to all our supporters for making the Avance-Dallas impact possible for the past 14 years!