ABSTRACT
The Avance Educational Programs for Parents and Children is a private, nonprofit, community-based organization serving Hispanic families in San Antonio, Texas. The concept of parents as educators is central to the philosophy of Avance, which provides support and education to parents to help them to raise competent, independent, and productive members of society. Services include: weekly visits, individualized parenting education classes in the home, social activities to break isolation, and a comprehensive program for meeting needs through service integration. Funding for expansion became available in 1979, and parenting education model was successfully replicated in another San Antonio community. The advisory board was called in at regular intervals and presented with "blocks of information" for reaction. Many researchers have been impressed with the accomplishments of Avance and its evaluation project and have been eager to learn the details of the evaluation experience in order to create additional models to test and measure the effect of prevention programs or similar treatment forms.
