Con Mi Madre (Mothers And Daughters Raising Expectations)

Helping Hispanic Girls Succeed in School by Involving Their Mothers

Con Mi MADRE

The Junior League of Austin

Issue Area(s): self-esteem, education

Metric of Success (if quantifiable/available): Since 1992, over 2,231 mother-daughter teams have participated, with 74 percent of 736 graduating seniors going on to two- or four-year colleges or serving in the military. About 60 percent of girls are the first in their family to attend college, and two-thirds come from low-income families.

Overview

Started in 1992 by the Junior League of Austin as the Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program, Con Mi MADRE is now an independent organization in Austin that works to increase the representation of Hispanic girls in higher education through educational and social support services for girls and their mothers.  

Community partners

  • University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work
  • Sustainable Food Center
  • Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
  • Univision Television
  • Pflugerville ISD
  • Austin ISD
  • E3 Alliance
  • College Forward
  • GENAustin
  • El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission
  • The Junior League of Austin
  • Austin Community Foundation

How it works

Con Mi MADRE provides activities for girls and their mothers that are designed to keep the girls on track to graduate, support their ability to maintain good grades, and help them apply to and plan for college and other post-secondary opportunities, along with providing mother-daughter teams with activities to create strong relationships. The program includes

  • Post-Secondary Readiness: educational conferences and campus workshops focused on peer pressure, self-esteem, study skills, and college readiness; on-site campus meetings; leadership development; individual counseling; study skills; parent support groups; volunteer service
  • Post-Secondary Enrollment: senior advising, college tours for the girls and their mothers, assistance with the college application process, and financial assistance and college scholarships
  • Post-Secondary Persistence: includes Girls Achieving a Dream activities

What’s the impact?

Con Mi MADRE demonstrates the power of a program that addresses a need in the community to, with the help of community partners, develop into an independent organization with a life of its own. Con Mi Madre is widely viewed as a major success story in the Austin area.