Month of the Family Kick-Off Event!!!
For questions or media information please contact Gypsy Gavia at gypsy@parentsstepahead.org or visit our 2012 Month of the Family Kick-Off Celebration page.
Richardson ISD & Parents Step Ahead Event
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Richardson ISD & Parents Step Ahead Host a Parent Involvement Event at Lake Highlands High School
Dallas, TX – January 17, 2012 –Richardson ISD is launching a new partnership with Parents Step Ahead (Padres Un Paso Adelante) with a workshop and community resource fair that will help to increase parent involvement in their children’s education. The event, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at Lake Highlands High School (9449 Church Rd., Dallas) was used to help educate parents about engaging in their child’s education. In addition, exhibitors and speakers introduced parents to resources available through the school district and community that can support students on their path toward graduation. The night ended with a Lake Highlands family winning a new computer from Parents Step Ahead.
In spite of the bad weather, more than 200 parents, students, teachers and community leaders participated in the event. “I came tonight to be involved in my children’s life because I know that it will help them be more confident about school and eventually going to college,” said Andrea Williams, winner of the computer and attendee of the event. “It feels great winning the computer because it will help my children further their education.”
RISD and Parents Step Ahead are partnering to focus on working with families in the Lake Highlands High School attendance zone, particularly those who are economically disadvantaged. “We are here to further the success of our children, which is why it is important that parents get involved and not be afraid to ask questions,” affirmed Peggy Dillion, Lake Highlands High School Principal.
Exhibitors included HACER (McDonald’s scholarship program), Primercia, UT Dallas, Community Council of Greater Dallas, STARS Program (UT Southwestern), ETA Cuisenaire, El Hispano News and Texas Tuition Promise Fund (Texas Comptroller).
Corporate sponsors of Parents Step Ahead and of the event included El Hispano News, McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Educational Testing Service, LATINA Style Magazine and AT&T.
About Parents Step Ahead
Parents Step Ahead is a 501-C3 nonprofit organization with a mission “to recognize, educate, enable and empower parents to take a proactive role in the educational and personal development of their children.” The organization works in partnership with corporations and community organizations to offer a series of programs for parents to demonstrate the importance of parental involvement. Programs are free and include dinner, childcare, and the raffle of prizes and culminate with the raffle of a desktop computer.
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Contact:
Programs & Communications Coordinator
(214) 357-2186 ext. 204
Gypsy@parentsstepahead.org
Richardson ISD Community Relations Coordinator
(469) 593-0307
Successful 2012 Kick-Off!
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PARENTS STEP AHEAD Kicks Off 2012 Successfully!
Over 600 attend the program at J.O. Davis Elementary
Dallas, TX – January 17, 2012 –The parent education event, organized by Parents Step Ahead and Irving Independent School District, was held on January 12, 2012 at J.O. Davis in Irving, Texas. The focus of the program was teaching parents to understand bullying and the basics of family finances.
“Education is a triangle, one corner is our students, one corner is our school, and the third corner is our parents,” said John Ringhauser, principal at J.O. Davis Elementary. “Parent involvement is important because together we have to make that triangle strong.” The school had 68 teacher ambassadors, all of which actively pursued parents to attend the seminar by personally making phone calls, writing letters and assisting on the night of the event with child care and registration.
McDonald’s, an early supporter of Parents Step Ahead, served more than 600 meals to families who attended the program. “It is truly inspiring and motivating to see so many parents come together for the sole purpose of learning to help their children succeed,” said Lupita Colmenero, founder and chair of Parents Step Ahead. “Thanks to their commitment and dedication the event at J.O. Davis was a total success!”
Twenty community organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Irving YMCA, Dallas Baptist University, Parkland Hospital and Medicaid came to support the program as exhibitors for the parent resource fair. At the end of the event Soledad Maldonado, a parent at J.O. Davis Elementary, won a free desktop computer for her and her family. Parents Step Ahead will be visiting six more schools during the spring semester in the districts of Richardson, Dallas, Garland, and Birdville. For parent program information and dates, visit www.parentsstepahead.org.
About Parents Step Ahead
Parents Step Ahead is a 501-C3 nonprofit organization with a mission “to recognize, educate, enable and empower parents to take a proactive role in the educational and personal development of their children.” The organization works in partnership with corporations and community organizations to offer a series of programs for parents to demonstrate the importance of parental involvement. Programs are free and include dinner, childcare, and the raffle of prizes and culminate with the raffle of a desktop computer.
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Contact:
Gypsy Gavia
Programs & Communications Coordinator
(214) 357-2186 ext. 204
Gypsy@parentsstepahead.org
1st 2012 PSA Event!!!
Come join us for the first parent program of the year and begin the spring semester with PARENTS STEP AHEAD!
J.O. Davis Elementary
January 12, 2012 (5:00PM – 8:00PM)
310 Davis Drive
Irving, Texas 75061
There will be:
*FREE dinner provided by McDonald’s
*FREE childcare (potty-trained required)
*Seminars on Understanding Financial Literacy & Bullying
*Community Resource Fair
*Raffle Prizes such as a NEW COMPUTER
Just come the day of the event and register onsite.
Visit our 2012 Parent Programs page for more information on upcoming events!
Jorge Muñoz Honored Speaker for 2011 Gala
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2009 CNN Hero Will Speak at the Parents Step Ahead 6th Annual “Parent of the Year” Award Ceremony
Jorge Muñoz to speak on the importance of community involvement
DALLAS, Nov. 29, 2011— Jorge Muñoz, a New York City school bus driver and founder of the non-profit An Angel in Queens, will be giving special remarks at Parents Step Ahead’s (PSA) 6th Annual “Parent of the Year” Gala. The event will be held this Friday, Dec. 2 at the Crowne Plaza Dallas Market Center.
PSA’s annual “Parent of the Year” gala honors parents who are making a difference in their children’s educational and personal development. Parents are nominated based on PSA program participation and two essays: one written by the parent on his/her involvement in their child’s education and the second written by the child about why their parent should be named “Parent of the Year.”
Jorge Muñoz began his unorthodox meal program in 2004 and now feeds up to 140 day laborers every day. An Angel in Queens operates on little more than what Muñoz can spare from his weekly paycheck as a school bus driver, a few donations from local restaurants, and the help of his family. He was recognized in 2009 as a CNN Hero and in 2010 received the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian honor, in recognition of his exemplary deeds of service for his fellow citizens.
“It is a real honor to have a person so willing to give, without expecting anything in return, at our event,” said Lupita Colmenero, founder of PSA. “Jorge Muñoz is a great example of the change that a single citizen can bring about, and is an inspiration for us to improve our communities.”
For more information please visit www.parentsstepahead.org.
About Parents Step Ahead
Parents Step Ahead is a 501-C3 nonprofit organization with a mission “to recognize, educate, enable and empower parents to take a proactive role in the educational and personal development of their children.” The organization works in partnership with school districts, corporations and community organizations to offer a series of school-based programs for parents of all backgrounds throughout the school calendar year to demonstrate the importance of parental involvement. Programs are free and include dinner, childcare, and the raffle of prizes and culminate with the raffle of a desktop computer.
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Contact:
Gypsy Gavia
Programs & Communications Coordinator
(214) 357-2186 ext. 204
Gypsy@parentsstepahead.org
