AVANCE | Early Childhood and Parenting Education at its Best

AVANCE (ah-vahn-ceh) is proudly claiming the number ten spot in Hispanic Business Magazine?s 2012 list of ?Top 25 Nonprofits.? This is the fifth consecutive year the San Antonio-based national organization has made the list.

?This recognition is humbling and we are thrilled to be alongside some of the most influential game-changers in the Hispanic nonprofit arena,? said AVANCE?s President and CEO, Rick Noriega.

The agency provides innovative education and family support services to predominantly Hispanic families in low-income, at-risk communities and are in year two of the Unlocking America?s Potential Project (UAPP), a multi-million dollar effort supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for the expansion of their evidence-based Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP).? Via the UAPP, AVANCE has expanded into ten states, while serving more families.

?AVANCE is transforming into a contemporary nonprofit organization that can meet the changing needs of the communities we serve and act as a national model of best practices in early childhood education and family support services,? explains Noriega.

Though the agency has experienced tremendous success and expansion, there is still a need for additional funding streams and increased organizational capacity in the face of government cutbacks.

?Licensing our curriculum will allow us to reach more families without having to build new facilities or hire more staff, which keeps the overhead under control,? said Noriega.? ?The challenge with licensing is ensuring fidelity to our model. Distance learning and increasing the number of monitoring visits from the National Office are two ways we can effectively manage the implementation of our programs,? said Noriega. ?As financial support dwindles for early childhood education, it is a necessary for us to streamline processes and maximize business development opportunities. As a nation, we are not often focused on the five- or 10-year look over the horizon, but early childhood education is that decisive point that has meaningful and long-term impact that truly affects the Hispanic community. Almost every other investment we make in the social environment is treating symptoms or the collateral effects of not investing in early childhood education.?

In 2011, AVANCE put back over $55 million into the community, an increase of $8.5 million over the previous year. ?The success of AVANCE starts with our devoted employees, but it is the determination of the families in our programs that are transforming communities nationwide. Our success is not weighed by how much money we make, but on the number of parents and children we help. When the quality of life for an AVANCE family improves, I know we are doing the right thing,? said Noriega.

Next year, AVANCE will celebrate 40 years of serving families. Details surrounding AVANCE?s anniversary events and 1st Annual Parent-Child Education Conference are forthcoming. For more information, sponsorship and exhibit opportunities please contact mjohnson.nat@avance.org.

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