By Edmond Ortiz
A new program being created by Alamo Colleges District and a local nonprofit is designed to help students pursue their higher education goals while making sure their children get quality early learning and care.
What you should know
Officials with ACD and AVANCE, which serves under-served families, gathered for a Nov. 12 profess conference where they announced their new collaboration, AVANCE to College.
According to a press release, AVANCE to College supports caregivers, including expecting mothers, parents, extended family, and foster families, toward becoming their child’s first teachers at home.
The program also introduces participants to the possibilities and opportunities for continued education and workforce upskilling. Participants have access to:
- Culturally responsive parenting education and family engagement activities
- Early childhood instruction and childcare enrollment opportunities
- College and career readiness workshops
- Holistic support services available through the San Antonio College Empowerment Center and partner organizations
Officials with AVANCE and Alamo Colleges said the partnership already has established two campus-level programs in the district: AVANCE to College at San Antonio College and Kids on Campus at Palo Alto College, each meant to offer various types of support for student parents and their children..
SAC’s AVANCE to College program, located at the SAC Empowerment Center, gives parents tools, resources and support to balance college, career, and family life.
Kids on Campus at Palo Alto College is based at PAC’s Ray Ellison Family Center, and was launched in collaboration with the National Head Start Association. According to the release, the PAC-level program provides free, high-quality early education and childcare directly to campus for qualifying student parents.
What they are saying
Mike Flores, Alamo Colleges District chancellor, said the district wants to help end poverty through education and training, and by supporting parent students, especially financially strapped individuals.
“By partnering with AVANCE San Antonio, we are building bridges for families, empowering our student parents to earn a credential while ensuring their children are learning, growing, and thriving. This partnership is what community impact looks like,” Flores said in a statement.
Yesenia Alvarez-Gonzalez, executive director of AVANCE San Antonio, said the new partnership was created to break barriers for young families, and help student parents to obtain a quality education that could lead to a well-paying, meaningful career.
According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a single mother with an associate degree will earn an estimated $329,500 more over her lifetime than one with only a high school education.
“Together, we are reimagining what’s possible for student parents by creating pathways for both parents and children to learn, grow, and succeed – side by side,” Alvarez-Gonzalez said in a statement.
