Proximity Accelerator: Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors

The Proximity Accelerator, which is led by New Profit Managing Partner Tulaine Montgomery and Partner Marco Davis, is part of a larger effort by New Profit to support visionary social entrepreneurs and other leaders from underrepresented communities, in this case communities of color. Participants in the one-year Proximity Accelerator receive a one-time unrestricted grant of $50,000, intensive group learning and collaboration on leadership and organizational development, regular consultations with New Profit partners with expertise in nonprofit capacity building, and access to New Profit’s larger learning community of social entrepreneurs and other changemakers through events like the annual Gathering of Leaders.

The first cohort of this year-long initiative features eight selected organizations. Today we celebrate one of the eight selected organizations: Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors.

About Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors

Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors is the nation’s first evidence-based comprehensive training program developed by and for Latino parents with children ages 0-5. Parent input informs the Abriendo Puertas / Opening Doors curriculum, which uses the “popular education” approach to engage parents in lessons that reflect the culture of the target audience. The ten interactive sessions draw from real-life experiences, incorporate data about local schools and communities, and focus on helping Latino parents understand their important role in the development of and long-term impact on their children’s educational outcomes. Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors’ train-the–trainer model helps local family service providers improve their outreach and interaction with families, and create a sustainable program that reaches beyond the initial training sessions.

About Sandra Gutierrez

Sandra Gutierrez is the Founder and National Director of Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors. Sandra led the development of Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors-the nation’s first evidence-based, comprehensive training program for Latino parents with children 0 to 5. Prior to her work with Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors, Sandra developed a series of training programs to support children and families involved in the child welfare system for Parents Action for Children. She brings over forty years of experience with legal, children’s advocacy and community service organizations. Her multi-faceted career has included founding the first service organization to assist Central American Refugees, developing health education programs for the United Farm Workers of America and leading campaigns to promote the benefits of preschool to the Latino community. In addition, for seven years, she served as a founding member and State Commissioner for First 5 California where she established the Advisory Committee on Equity. Sandra serves as an Advisory Board member for the Too Small To Fail Initiative. In March 2014, Sandra was named by the White House as a Cesar E. Chavez Champion of Change, and in February 2015 she received the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.

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