Complicated problems require catalytic work to illuminate solutions.
In 2008, The Community Foundation identified the achievement gap—the difference in academic performance and opportunity between low-income, primarily Latino, students and wealthy, primarily Anglo, students—as one of the most significant issues facing Boulder County. Our School Readiness Initiative has partnered in enlightening ways with community leaders, school districts, educators, other nonprofits and parents to help the whole community own the goal of closing the gap.
Our primary focus the past two years has been the Engaged Latino Parents Advancing School Outcomes (ELPASO) program. It’s a grassroots movement developed with hundreds of Latino parents to create a critical mass of well-informed and skilled parents: initial results are glowing.
Our bilingual, bicultural School Readiness Coordinators knock on doors, connecting parents to early childhood and family resources—and recruiting parents for leadership development and training. In turn, these parents continue to spark change by teaching other Latino parents how to ensure their children are ready for Kindergarten. So far, we’ve reached more than 1,000 parent leaders.
See our new ELPASO video “Veronica’s Story”
This is Colorado Gives Day—the perfect day to support The Community Foundation and other Boulder County Nonprofits.
