Dr. Teresa Granillo, CEO of AVANCE, admits that her group’s presence in the Rio Grande Valley has not always been as strong as it could have been.
AVANCE, headquartered in San Antonio, has pioneered early childhood education in Latino communities for half a century.
The group celebrated the first of its 50th Anniversary celebrations at the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg on Jan. 30.
In an interview with the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service after the event, Granillo said AVANCE plans to have a bigger and more sustained presence in the Valley.
“There has been wax and wane of AVANCE here in the Valley. And right now what we're trying to establish is that next generation of impact that spreads not just… we're in Alamo and we are starting to grow in different areas,” Granillo said.
“We want to partner with Willacy County. We are already in Starr (County) and we're here in Hidalgo. We want to be in Brownsville, we want to be in Edinburg.”
Granillo said growing in the Valley is part of AVANCE’s new strategic plan.
“We want to be partnering with school districts and Head Start because it's really important. This community is a really unique community. It's a border community. And this is where AVANCE should thrive,” Granillo said.
“This is what AVANCE was designed for, to serve this particular community. And so we now have it in our strategic plan, to grow our footprint here in the Rio Grande Valley. And so, we're here, we’re here to stay and we're here to grow.”
Editor’s Note: Here is a video interview with Dr. Teresa Granillo, conducted at the conclusion of an AVANCE 50th Anniversary celebration event in Edinburg:
https://youtu.be/L2iNyoF_g7I
