The National Center for Families Learning and Toyota award
$25,000 to two educators for their
success at engaging families in the classroom.
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 25,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sergio
de Alba of Los Banos,
California has long recognized the power of family
engagement to create stronger families and stronger communities.
For twenty-two years, he's been committed to helping families in
his rural farming community build deeper connections with their
school and to creating an environment where all cultures, needs,
and backgrounds are embraced. His success in this effort earned him
the title of 2023 Toyota Family Teacher of the Year, a national
designation that recognizes outstanding educators who are
exceptional in engaging families in learning.
![NCFL president and CEO Dr. Felicia C. Smith surprises 2023 Toyota Teacher of the Year winner Sergio de Alba at his school. NCFL president and CEO Dr. Felicia C. Smith surprises 2023 Toyota Teacher of the Year winner Sergio de Alba at his school.](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2257501/2023_Winner_Sergio_de_Alba_resized.jpg)
For 27 years, the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL)
and Toyota have partnered to recognize educators from across the
nation who use a strong multi-generational approach to learning and
focus on building effective family-school partnerships that support
student achievement and school improvement. The award announcement
was made public last night during the Families Learning Conference
by Mike Goss, General Manager of
Social Innovation at Toyota Motor North America and President of
the Toyota USA Foundation. Both
Mr. de Alba and runner-up Dr. Artika
Tyner of St. Paul,
Minnesota, were surprised with news of their awards earlier
this month. Watch video footage of de Alba's surprise here.
As a child, Mr. de Alba was the son of a farm worker and an
English language learner. He uses those personal experiences in his
teaching and in interactions with the families and students at R.M.
Miano Elementary School. He has a unique understanding of the
challenges his students face and the ways that educational
opportunity can transform communities like his by working with
families as partners in the learning process and as integral parts
of a child's educational journey.
Throughout his career, Mr. de Alba has designed a variety of
family engagement learning experiences that include events like
cultural potlucks and astronomy nights alongside community service
projects that teach the importance of civic engagement. These
service-learning projects, all aligned to state standards, have
built gardens, a baseball field, a veteran's memorial stage,
murals, and countless other monuments. He hopes to use the award to
fund a new mural project and provide buses for an annual university
tour for his students and families that promotes the importance of
post-secondary educational opportunities.
"For nearly three decades, Toyota has partnered with NCFL to
recognize and celebrate successful family engagement programs
across the country," says Goss. "Time and again we've seen the
power of family engagement to impact student achievement and
kickstart a legacy of multigenerational educational success. We are
so pleased for the chance to celebrate Sergio and Artika and
highlight the ways they're making a difference for the families
they serve."
Dr. Tyner is an attorney, author, and activist and founder of
Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute (PPGJLI) in
St. Paul, Minnesota. PPGJLI works
to end the school-to-prison pipeline by raising awareness of the
reading crisis, supporting diverse books and authors, and promoting
cultural preservation. She was inspired to create PPGJLI during her
work as a civil rights attorney, where she noted that most of her
clients learned how to read while incarcerated. Dr. Tyner hopes to
use the award to expand her work both locally and nationally.
"Sergio and Artika are both committed to working alongside
parents and children to break cycles of poverty and incarceration
through educational success," says NCFL President and CEO Dr.
Felicia C. Smith. "By creating
meaningful engagement opportunities and streamlining access to
systems of support, these outstanding professionals are changing
the course of both the families they serve and their communities. I
can't wait to see how they use this award to deepen their
impact."
As the 2023 Toyota Family Teacher of the Year winner, Mr. de
Alba will receive $20,000 to
implement a family leadership program aimed at fostering authentic
partnerships among families and schools in her district. As
runner-up, Dr. Tyner will receive a $5,000 grant award to support her family
engagement efforts. Since 1997, Toyota Family Teacher of the Year
winners, runners-up, and their respective organizations have
received $675,000 and funded 54
innovative teacher-led projects.
About the National Center for Families Learning
(NCFL)
NCFL is a national nonprofit that has worked for over
30 years to eradicate poverty through education solutions for
families. We believe education is a shared responsibility and that
collaboration among families, schools, and community members can
lead to powerful learning experiences. NCFL's vision is to
establish coordinated and aligned family learning systems in 60
communities by 2030, built with and for families, to increase
education and economic outcomes and create more equitable
communities. For more information on NCFL, visit
familieslearning.org. To learn more about our 60x30 Vision or
become a 60x30 partner, visit familieslearning.org/60x30.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the
cultural fabric in North America
for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable,
next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus
our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the
design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and
trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota's 14th plant
in North Carolina will begin to
manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With
more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker,
Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota,
visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
National Center for Families Learning
- Amy Foster Parish, 703-472-5997,
aparish@familieslearning.org
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SOURCE National Center for Families Learning