CREEED understands that parents and guardians are the best advocates for their child’s education. As a new parent myself to a beautiful toddler, I’m already thinking about the educational opportunities that my child will have access to and how they will shape her life. These are important choices for all parents.
That’s why in 2020, CREEED expanded our mission to include empowering parents as a strategy to strengthen El Paso County’s education system.
Over the past four years we have empowered almost 400 parents in El Paso through workshops, talks, and other community events. We provide parents with data and resources on college readiness, financial aid, health and wellness, school performance, finding the right school, and so much more.
One of the best ways for parents to get involved and learn how they can better support their child’s education is our Parent Education Leadership Fellowship.
The Fellowship is an in-depth program where parents attend weekly sessions for eight weeks. They receive information on the different types of schools and classes available; student and school performance data; state legislative efforts; college enrollment and more. They also learn about the structure of school boards and attend a school board meeting to see firsthand how decisions for their child’s school are made. Parents are asked to make an appointment with their child’s principal so they can take the first step in becoming an active member of their child’s education team.
The Fellowship has grown into a network and community for parents to stay engaged well beyond the program and with each other. Parents encourage each other to start clubs and volunteer at their local schools, to launch initiatives together and to solve problems together. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing these parents become leaders in their communities.
If you are a parent, I hope you will join one of our Parent Engagement programs or attend one of our parent workshops. You can go to our events page to learn about upcoming events. We hope you become one of the almost 400 parent advocates who have participated in one of CREEED’s signature programs.