Community Impact

AVANCE-Austin offers programs in elementary schools and community centers within the Dove Springs, St. John’s, Manor, and Del Valle communities.  These are each low-income, majority Latino neighborhoods AVANCE has been serving which are now receiving public attention for their high level of need.  The number of children living in poverty in Del Valle is 30% , and statistics show that  low-income children fall behind their peers in school without early internvention. A Statesman article (January 26, 2012) covering Austin’s achievement gap sited the United Way’s recently published research study, completed with the assistance of UCLA, which found that children living in these communities were the least prepared in the city, with 18% in Dove Springs and 14% in St. John’s.  These children live in the neighborhoods AVANCE serves, and their families make up our target population.  AVANCE’s Parent-Child Education Program impacts not only one family at a time, but also the neighborhoods they live in, and the larger community.

National and Local Recognition

The impact of AVANCE’s innovative model has been recognized locally and nationally for its success in poverty alleviation, family wellness, and educational development for both parents and children:

  • For the past four years, Hispanic Business Magazine named AVANCE, Inc. one of the top nonprofit organizations in the country serving Hispanics.
  • In a New York Times article (Sept. 9, 2008) AVANCE was recognized as one of the best non-school based interventions nationally that successfully improve the lives of disadvantaged children.
  • Renowned educator and former Assistant Secretary for Education, Dr. Susan B. Neuman, highlighted AVANCE in her latest book Changing the Odds for Children at Risk.  She identifies AVANCE as one of a handful of programs that are research evidence-based models meeting essential principles in alleviating family poverty. Dr. Neuman states directly “AVANCE works.”
  • In 2002, the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce presented AVANCE-Austin with a Community Services Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service to the Latino community.
  • In 2006, Former Mayor Will Wynn proclaimed September as AVANCE-Austin Appreciation Month.
  • Former Mayor Kirk Watson proclaimed July 14, 2008 as AVANCE Family Support & Education Day.
  • In 2013, AVANCE was the only non-profit in Texas with an early childhood focus to be recognized for its impact by the Social Impact Exchange. 

These public acknowledgments highlight the strength of AVANCE, but our most significant achievement is what is accomplished daily. The fact that these  low-income, limited English speaking children go on to succeed academically counters countless statistics highlighting how a child’s educational attainment corresponds directly with their parents’, and how cycles of poverty plague generations of families.