Parents are Leading Community Transformation

How NAZ Partners with Parents

NAZ is turning the social service model on its head. Families are shifting from perennial recipients of services to leaders of a culture shift toward a college-going community on the Northside. We believe a culture of achievement can only be built from within the community—one family at a time. Parents partner with NAZ at every step in their child’s path to college:

• Parents sign a “College Bound Commitment” pledging to make college a top family priority.
• They partner one-on-one with a NAZ Family Achievement Coach to set and reach goals that support college readiness (Achievement Plans).
• Specialized support is provided by NAZ Specialists and our partner organizations to stabilize households through housing services, career & finance training, and behavioral health counseling.
• Parents take NAZ Family Academy empowerment and education classes.
• A team of parent leaders are selected to serve on the NAZ Parent Advisory Board.

The Belief Gap

Northside families have experienced multigenerational poverty and an egregious achievement gap. The result is a “belief gap.” Through NAZ, parents are beginning to believe their children are worthy of a college education and they are partnering with their NAZ Family Achievement Coach to take new actions that put their entire family on a trajectory toward success. We target the hardest-to-reach parents who have not traditionally been involved with promoting academic success in their community and partner with them one on one. As we scale up to enroll 1,000 Northside families, their individual successes become the culture of the community, leading population-level change.