Connecting Parents To Their Children’s Education

For the Raising Families team (formerly Birth2Work), guest David Valladolid’s message is a near-perfect echo of our view: no matter what role you have in life, you can identify an issue and take action to resolve it. As the President and CEO of the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE), David carries forward the legacy of Rev. Vahac Mardirosian and Dr. Alberto Ochoa, two gentlemen who confounded the education community when they founded PIQE in San Diego, California in 1987.

Rev. Mardirosian didn’t start out to be an education visionary. He was a successful pastor. But the need that so many members of his church called out for was a strong voice that could help them help their own children do better in an education system they knew little about.

Rev. Mardirosian spoke up and helped build a powerful set of tools for local schools, communities and families who were just starting out in a new education system, to help guide their children’s education for a life time. David Valladolid continues that work today with wisdom and passion for the future of PIQE throughout the United States.

Since its inception, PIQE has inspired and taught more than 375,000 underserved and often non-English speaking people to make a difference with their children’s education by teaching a simple idea: Your child’s success is in your hands. Here is how to make it happen.

Today, in his role as President, David continues the work of PIQE’s founders. The program has expanded beyond San Diego, now flourishing nationally, and offering the rest of us insights into an organization built on solid principles, rather than just the personalities of two men.

Hype often stems from personality-driven programs in which one figurehead is the driving force of the institution. But PIQE was built on principles that could be learned, lived, and passed on to others. I note this point because in the more than 30 years I have been consulting with people, organizations, communities, businesses, and groups to make a difference and assure their future, one action stands out. Current leadership is always looking around for others who can be brought into the organization and trained to be future leaders.

It was this leadership development aspect of the work of the Parent Institute for Quality Education that captured my interest in supporting their work. Deeply embedded in the heart of every training class is the intent to prepare parents to be education leaders and advocates for their children throughout their entire lives.