New York, NY - Congressman Charles B. Rangel attended the graduation ceremony honoring nearly 700 parents from five Children’s Aid Society community schools in Washington Heights graduating from the Ercilia Pepin Parent Institute on Saturday, June 9, 2012. The Institute provides guidance to parents on how to best navigate the school system on behalf of their children, and also offers numerous educational resources for them, including taking the GED and literacy, technology, child care licensing, and vocational courses.

"These parents deserve a lot of credit," Rangel said. "They have taken the initiative to improve their understanding of a complex school system and gain new skills in order to help their children. Active parent involvement in the lives of children is critical to their development and success."

Research bears out the Congressman's comments. Children with parents more involved with their education perform better academically than children with less involved parents. The beneficiaries of active parental involvement are more likely to enroll in postsecondary education programs.

"My sincere thanks go out to the Children's Aid Society for their integral efforts in helping young people," Rangel said. "President Richard R. Buery, Jr. and everyone at the organization perform an admirable and essential service for the communities they work in."

Founded in 2007, the Ercilia Pepin Parent Institute was named after devoted Dominican educator and feminist Ercilia Pepin (1886-1939), to provide Washington Heights and Inwood parents the skills to be strong advocates for their children in their schools. The Institute is part of the Children's Aid Society, a non-profit that tries to bridge the gap between children living in supportive communities with good schools and those who unfortunately do not have access to the same resources. Their mission statement is to help "children in poverty to succeed and thrive. We do this by providing comprehensive support to children and their families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods."