Religious Educators for the Advancement of Hispanic Children (REACH) is a network formed under the leadership of Hispanic CREO to organize, educate and sustain the faith-based community around Hispanic CREO’s mission to improve educational outcomes for Hispanic students and provide information and support on parental choice in education.

REACH works with national, state and local faith-based leaders, youth ministries, and other religious organizations to develop comprehensive messaging and cohesive advocacy efforts for this integral part of the Latino community structure.

The faith sector understands the importance of a quality education and knows first-hand the crisis Hispanic children and youth are facing with the lowest rates of graduation of any population group, increasing drop-out rates, and the un-attainability of higher education for many Hispanic youth. Yet the faith-based leaders, pastors, ministers, and priests have a direct relationship with the members of their congregations and furthermore, are eager to ensure the highest quality of life for them.

To date, REACH has recruited over 2,000 churches, nearly 1,000 of which are located in Florida, and has developed curriculum specific to the faith-based community. The curriculum includes capacity-building training in the areas of Hispanic educational performance standards and measurements, influencing policymakers and engaging elected officials, the power of associations and networks, and developing a scope of capacity and influence. The training modules have been developed around Hispanic CREO’s core values of expanding educational opportunities and promoting parental choice in education.

In the near future, REACH will have the ability to distribute materials to their congregations and the public at large on the importance of access to quality education and parental choice. They will also be given the tools to identify and work with students at-risk of dropping-out, failing, or not in a conducive educational setting.

Additionally, with the support of Hispanic CREO and other interested organizations, the REACH network coordinates advocacy efforts for policymakers and stakeholders, maintains an internal and public system of communication, and coordinates electronic and print media outreach for policy advocacy and public information.

As the largest and fastest growing minority population in the country, Hispanic-American students can REACH the highest levels of education and become tomorrow’s leaders! With your guidance and support, they will not endure the journey alone.