ImmSchools provides tailored, comprehensive programs: 1) We build educators’ classroom practices through trauma-informed, culturally-responsive professional development trainings; 2) We host community-led student and family sessions to build their knowledge of the rights and resources in schools; 3) We influence district leaders to implement pro-immigrant policies. By providing the school community with the programs and resources to build safe and welcoming environments for students and families, we can ultimately ensure their socioemotional wellness and academic success.
With your support, we will directly support our families with financial assistance to cover rent, monthly bills, food, and other necessities.
ImmSchools is a BIPOC immigrant-women-led 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose core mission is to support teachers and school leaders to create a positive school culture and climate for all students, parents, and caregivers, regardless of immigration status.
Imagine you are a parent or caregiver of two elementary-aged children. You are new to this country, do not speak English, and are facing extreme economic hardship and are excluded from government/unemployment relief due to your immigration status. You are directed to go to the nearest school to enroll your children. Would you feel comfortable leaving them at this school with people whom you cannot communicate with?
This is the reality for parents of more than 5 million K-12 undocumented students in the U.S. Our newly arrived, undocumented students and mixed-status immigrant families face toxic stress due to their immigration status, which drastically impair their sense of safety, socioemotional wellbeing and academic success in our schools. They experience the constant fear of deportation, persisting language barriers, the lack of federal aid available to them due to their status, among countless other barriers – which make it challenging to learn and thrive in school spaces. It is also critical to highlight that the poverty rate for undocumented communities across the US stands at a staggering 20%, according to the Center for Migration Studies.
It is of utmost importance that, ImmSchools, utilize our unique position as a trusted community organization founded and led by formerly undocumented educators to actively support the holistic needs of our multilingual, multicultural, multigenerational undocumented and mixed-status immigrant families.
With your donation, ImmSchools will be able to provide our parents with the financial assistance and programs to cover the cost of their basic needs as well as resources to inform them of their educational and immigration rights.
ImmSchools is a culmination of the life, work, and everyday lived experiences of our founders – who grew up as undocumented Latina women navigating the K-12 education system and who bring to the work 20+ years of combined experience working at the intersection of immigration and education.
Prior to launching ImmSchools, we interviewed dozens of immigrant families and students, educators, and community leaders to learn about their needs for creating more equitable educational opportunities and a sense of socioemotional safety in schools. Leading with their recommendations, we formed ImmSchools in 2017 to create the world that our immigrant parents envisioned for us, a world where their worth is measured by their determination, resilience, and strength, and not by their immigration status. It is our theory that by activating the resources so deeply ingrained in the immigrant community to become school leaders, equipping educators with tools to better support all students, and enabling school districts to create policies protecting the families they serve, we can create a liberated world for all.
Centering the lived experience, knowledge, and agency of our undocumented and mixed-status families, we are 100% community-led. Our programming is directly informed, envisioned, and facilitated by undocumented educators, families, and students. Every program-facing member is BIPOC women and have had lived experience as current/formerly undocumented or coming from a mixed-status family. 100% are former undocumented Black and Latina educators, elevating our leadership as undocumented women of color as true experts working in the intersection of education and immigration.
Organization name
ImmSchools
Causes
Education - K-12
Operating Budget
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999
Counties Served
Dallas, Tarrant
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latinx
BIPOC Leadership
Both the Executive Director/CEO and Board Chair
Address
3108 Swiss Ave