Stamford immigrant parents receive Prize for Parent Organizing

June 2019 – Parent leaders from the POWER (Parents Organized Will Effect Results) program at Building One Community – The Center for Immigrant Opportunity were awarded the 2019 Prize for Parent Organizing by the ZOOM Foundation on May 23. Held at the New Haven Lawn Club, Celebrate Parent Power: Connecticut Parents Uniting for Great Schools recognized parents who organize and advocate for educational equity and justice.

The Prize for Parent Organizing is awarded to the organizing group that demonstrates the most parent power for educational equity. POWER launched in 2015 with a focus on mobilizing Stamford Public Schools’ Latinx immigrant parents to understand the educational inequities stacked against their families and securing a seat at the table to address issues affecting their children’s academic success.

In 2019, POWER leaders successfully advocated for Stamford Public Schools to negotiate a contract with Springboard Collaborative, a national recognized program that engages parents alongside their children to close the literacy gap. In Stamford, Hispanic children lag well behind their peers with 66.9% performing below grade level in reading.

Ximena Velasquez, POWER Parent, commented, “The parents have worked very hard to bring Springboard to Stamford. We all have. It was not an easy process and the Lectura Campaign is the first campaign that we carried out using the organizing model. I think that’s why we won - because we didn’t give up. “

“We thank the parent leaders and staff from Building One Community for their outstanding commitment to ensuring every child has the opportunity to attend a great public school and achieve their potential,” said Meghan Lowney, Executive Director of The ZOOM Foundation. “Their efforts demonstrate that parents are an unstoppable force for great schools in Connecticut. Together, we can make sustainable gains in closing opportunity gaps if we invest in the development of local leaders.”

About Building One Community
Building One Community is a nonprofit organization, established in 2011, that provides a comprehensive resource center for immigrants in the greater Stamford area. The mission of Building One Community is to advance the successful integration of immigrants and their families. For more information: www.Building1Community.org

About The ZOOM Foundation
The ZOOM Foundation focuses its philanthropic investments on innovative change efforts that have high potential for sustainable impact, particularly in the areas of education and the environment. The ZOOM Foundation is a family foundation established to effect social change through philanthropy. For more information: www.zoomfoundation.org