August 26, 2016

The below press release is republished here from PASOs.

PASOs’ selection came after a thorough screening process in which 284 entries were considered by peers, trusted reviewers, and Ashoka staff. The PASOs Early Childhood Initiative is one of about 120 entries invited to continue to the next stage, because PASOs hit on a compelling approach or demonstrated outstanding leadership in the field of children’s wellbeing.

As a Pioneer, PASOs has been invited into the inner council of Ashoka and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as these organizations work to build a better vision for how children grow up in the United States. Ashoka and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation believe that the collective wisdom from this group of individuals can serve as the foundation for a powerful movement.

PASOs supports Latino families with children ages 0-5 in target areas, including: child development, health, early literacy, parenting, nutrition, child safety, developmental screenings, and navigation of early childhood resources. True to our model, PASOs also partners with early childhood organizations to help them develop greater capacity to serve Latino families in a culturally competent manner.

PASOs, with its central office based at the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health and working in partnership with five other health organizations throughout the state, originated in Richland and Lexington counties in 2005 and means "steps" in Spanish. The organization has significantly increased its outreach efforts from 2008 - 2016 and offers its community-based education and navigation services to Latino families from 29 of 46 counties throughout the Palmetto State. For more information, visit www.scpasos.org.