[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 6, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E116-E117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CELEBRATING AVANCE'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOAQUIN CASTRO

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 6, 2024

  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and 
congratulate AVANCE for their 50 years of service uplifting Latino 
families to their fullest potential. San Antonio is proud to be home to 
the headquarters of this leading nonprofit, which is dedicated to 
improving the lives of Latino communities through high quality and 
culturally responsible early childhood and parenting education.
  In 1973, San Antonio native Dr. Gloria Rodriguez saw a need to 
address growing systemic racial inequalities in education on our city's 
Westside. Fifty years later, what started out as a program serving 35 
San Antonio families at one housing development project has grown into 
a national-scale operation. AVANCE now serves more than 13,000 
caregivers and children every year throughout Texas and California.
  AVANCE believes that parents are their child's first teacher and that 
home is a child's first classroom, and that thinking guides their core 
Parent-Child Education Program. They work tirelessly to foster economic 
mobility for Latino families by opening the door to opportunity for 
both caregivers and children.
  Over the years, hundreds of thousands of families have been impacted 
by AVANCE's work. By 2030, Latinos will make up nearly 30 percent of 
the American student population.

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Our nation's prosperity goes hand in hand with the success of these 
students, and organizations like AVANCE that are ensuring that the next 
generation of American leaders have a strong foundation. I look forward 
to many more years of powerful work from AVANCE and endless 
possibilities for Latino families to come.

                          ____________________