MindShiftED Parent Institute

In 2019, a group of San Antonio parents embarked on a six-month fellowship to explore the educational landscape from a parent's perspective. Through block walking, self-guided community meetings, and a shared vision for better school opportunities for families across San Antonio, Texas, two leaders emerged with a mission to create an organization that would truly represent the needs of local parents. After conducting several focus groups and community meetings, they developed a core guide to empower families to become savvy consumers of education.

Although MindshiftED Parent Institute (MSED) became an independent nonprofit organization in 2022, our journey began three years earlier when we started engaging and organizing parents. During this time, we gained valuable insights into the demographics and needs of our growing community. We discovered that 75% of our active parents and caregivers are Spanish-speaking only, and 50% have children with disabilities. These findings shaped our programming and educational priorities, highlighting the barriers that prevent parents from fully engaging in their children's education and with educational system decision-makers.

MSED is committed to addressing these challenges, ensuring that our families, who face language barriers and difficulties in accessing high-quality special education services, have the support they need to advocate for their children and navigate the education system effectively.