Families In Schools
Families In Schools is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit founded in 2000 that builds parent leadership, trains educators, and advocates for early literacy and educational equity. It serves LAUSD families, schools, and community organizations through training, the Read LA! campaign, and policy advocacy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Families In Schools does
Families In Schools (FIS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2000 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, that exists to involve parents and communities in their children's education. The organization operates as a capacity-building, leadership, and advocacy entity, primarily serving families in low-income, immigrant, and communities of color across Los Angeles County and California, with a stated broader reach throughout the United States. FIS's primary institutional customers and partners include school districts (notably the Los Angeles Unified School District), educators, community-based organizations such as the Special Needs Network, and parent leaders. Yolie Flores serves as President & CEO and Virgil Roberts as Chairman of the Board; the organization has been consecutively led since 2011 by Oscar Cruz-era and Flores-era leadership, with the Founders originating from the Los Angeles Annenberg Metropolitan Project's Parents as Learning Partners initiative.
FIS's core offerings span three program areas. The parent power building portfolio includes Parent Warriors (a parent leadership cohort), Literacy Ambassadors, and the Parent Villages curriculum, the last of which was co-developed with the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health. The capacity building portfolio centers on the Family Engagement Strategies Institute — a 12-hour intensive training built on Dr. Karen Mapp's Dual Capacity-Building Framework — plus customized coaching, consultation, and focus group services, with legacy training modules for parents covering school transitions, English Learners, and growth mindset. The advocacy portfolio is anchored by the Read LA! Campaign, which includes a mobile application launched in August 2025 (powered by ReachWell, delivering content in over 130 languages with no personal information required and aligned to LAUSD's CKLA reading curriculum), a Read LA! Bookmobile launched in June 2026, and the AB 1454 statewide literacy legislation signed into law in 2025. The campaign has set a public goal of moving 70% of LAUSD third graders to proficient reading by 2030, from a stated 43% baseline.
FIS's revenue model combines philanthropic support — donations, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships evidenced by 38 sponsors at the 25th anniversary benefit gala (including the Broad Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, Learning Heroes, Kaiser Permanente, and the California Emerging Technology Fund/School2Home) — with fee-based professional services (School & District Trainings, Family Workshops, coaching and consultation) and free community-facing programming (webinars, Read LA! App, bookmobile). The organization has no parent company, no disclosed venture or private equity backing, and is governed by an independent Board of Directors. Strategic partnerships include the technology partnership with ReachWell, co-development relationships with the TMW Center and the LAUSD-aligned CA Kids Read coalition with EdVoice and Decoding Dyslexia California, and a track record of policy advocacy that has channeled over $113 million of California state investment into district family-engagement capacity.
Families In Schools firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Families In Schools
- Legal name
- Families In Schools
- Website
- https://familiesinschools.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Families In Schools is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit founded in 2000 that builds parent leadership, trains educators, and advocates for early literacy and educational equity. It serves LAUSD families, schools, and community organizations through training, the Read LA! campaign, and policy advocacy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Families In Schools industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Family Engagement and Capacity Building Services
- NAICS
- Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Home Visiting & Parent Coaching Programs (EDACALAC), Family Advocacy, Parent Training & Support Services (EDAJAKAK)
Keywords
Where Families In Schools is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Families In Schools business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Sponsorship: FIS operates as a nonprofit organization that raises funds through individual donations and corporate/event sponsorships. The 25th anniversary gala was supported by 38 sponsors including California Emerging Technology Fund/School2Home, Broad Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, Learning Heroes, and Kaiser Permanente.
- Training and Capacity Building Services: FIS provides professional learning experiences and customized coaching/consultation services to educational partners looking to invest in family engagement, including focus groups, school site visits, and Learnings & Opportunities Reports.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Webinars |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | School & District Trainings |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Family Workshops |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Families In Schools product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Families In Schools is a nonprofit organization that delivers family engagement and parent leadership programming to school districts and families. Its core services include the Family Engagement Strategies Institute (a 12-hour professional development program for educators), Parent Warriors and Parent Villages leadership training for parents, customized coaching and consultation for school partners, and the Read LA! literacy campaign suite comprising a mobile app, bookmobile, and advocacy work.
Product overview
Families In Schools offers a suite of programs and services focused on family engagement, parent leadership development, and early literacy advocacy. The organization's core offerings include the Read LA! Campaign (with its companion Read LA! App and Read LA! Bookmobile), the Family Engagement Strategies Institute (a 12-module professional development program), Parent Warriors leadership program, and Parent Villages curriculum toolkit. The organization also provides family engagement coaching and consultation services, legacy training programs for parents, and advocacy campaigns to improve literacy outcomes. The Read LA! App is a mobile application powered by ReachWell that delivers literacy content in over 130 languages.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Read LA!: A campaign to ensure all children in Los Angeles can read and thrive, including the Read LA! App, Read LA! Bookmobile, and Literacy Ambassador leadership program
Products and services
- Family Engagement Strategies Institute A fee-based 12-hour intensive professional development program for school, district, and organizational staff based on the Dual Capacity Building Framework, providing three modules (Mindsets Matter, Welcoming Environment, and Collaborative Family Engagement) to build authentic family engagement capacity.
- Parent Warriors A leadership program that brings together parent and caregiver leaders each year for advocacy training, leadership development, and community engagement to champion equitable educational systems.
- Parent Villages A four-session curriculum and toolkit that activates small groups of parents as leaders and advocates, developed in partnership with the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health and inspired by the book Parent Nation by Dr. Dana Suskind, available in English and Spanish.
- Family Engagement Coaching & Consultation Customized coaching and consultation services for educational partners, including focus group facilitation, school site visits, and Learnings & Opportunities Reports to help school teams implement strategies for stronger family engagement.
- Read LA! App A free mobile application powered by ReachWell that delivers early literacy information and activities to Los Angeles families in over 130 languages without requiring personal information, with content aligned to LAUSD's CKLA reading instruction curriculum.
- Read LA! Bookmobile A mobile literacy hub that brings free books, bilingual Storytimes, and family-friendly literacy resources directly to children and families across Los Angeles County by visiting schools, parks, community centers, clinics, and neighborhood events.
- Legacy Institutes / Trainings for Parents A suite of fee-based parent training programs including Transition to Middle School, Transition to High School, Transition to College, Steps for Success (for parents of English Learners), and Growth Mindset workshops.
- Read LA! Campaign A coalition advocacy campaign focused on reversing the literacy crisis in Los Angeles and partnering with LAUSD to ensure all children can read and thrive, including the passage of AB 1454 literacy legislation.
Quantifiable outcome
- Goal: 70% of LAUSD third graders reading proficiently by 2030 (from current 43%)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Families In Schools
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Families In Schools technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Families In Schools partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ReachWellcoreReachWell powers the Read LA! app, providing the technology platform that enables early literacy information and activities to be delivered to families in over 130 languages with no personal information required.
- TMW Center for Early Learning and Public HealthcoreFIS partnered with the TMW Center to develop the Parent Villages curriculum and toolkit, inspired by the book Parent Nation by Dr. Dana Suskind. FIS offers train-the-trainer sessions to groups, organizations, and school systems.
- California Emerging Technology Fund/School2HomeminorMajor sponsor of FIS's 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala.
- Broad FoundationminorMajor sponsor of FIS's 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala.
- Heising-Simons FoundationminorMajor sponsor of FIS's 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala.
- Learning HeroesminorMajor sponsor of FIS's 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala.
- Kaiser PermanenteminorMajor sponsor of FIS's 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala.
- EdVoicecoreCo-sponsor of CA Kids Read Campaign along with FIS and Decoding Dyslexia California to advance evidence-based early literacy legislation in California.
- Decoding Dyslexia CaliforniacoreCo-sponsor of CA Kids Read Campaign along with FIS and EdVoice to advance evidence-based early literacy legislation in California.
- Special Needs NetworkminorNonprofit dedicated to advocating for and supporting families with autism and developmental disabilities in underserved communities; Mary Lee serves as Senior Director of Community Outreach and Advocacy.
- LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District)coreFIS partners with LAUSD to ensure all children receive effective literacy instruction through the Read LA! campaign and literacy initiatives.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Families In Schools competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- California State PTA: State-level PTA affiliate focused on California K-12 family engagement and education policy; a regional counterpart that intersects with FIS's policy advocacy and parent-leadership mission within California.
Broad incumbents
- National PTA: Large, established national membership organization advocating for parent engagement in K-12 schools and providing training/advocacy resources; overlaps with FIS on family-school partnership advocacy but at a much larger national scale.
- GreatSchools: National nonprofit providing school information and parent-facing resources to support educational decision-making; comparable as a parent-information intermediary, though with a different primary product (information vs. direct training).
Emerging players
- ParentPowered (formerly Ready4K): Tech-enabled family engagement platform delivering text-message and app-based parent coaching to school districts; comparable to FIS's Read LA! App distribution of literacy content to families at scale.
- Dare2B Digital / EdNavigator-style family advisory models: Smaller nonprofits and family-advocacy startups offering one-on-one parent navigation and coaching through school systems; comparable to FIS's family engagement coaching and consultation services.
- LENA (Language Environmental Analysis): Nonprofit focused on early childhood language and literacy development, partnering with school districts and families to measure and improve verbal interaction; comparable to FIS's early literacy mission (birth-to-third-grade).
Direct peers
- Raising A Reader: Nonprofit that distributes books and literacy programming through partner sites and parent engagement models to build home literacy routines; comparable to FIS's Read LA! Bookmobile and family-literacy focus.
- Waterford.org: National nonprofit focused on early literacy and family engagement through home-based learning tools and school partnerships; comparable in mission around early reading and underserved family support.
- Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE): California-based nonprofit delivering parent engagement programs and training to school districts serving low-income and immigrant families; closest direct comparable to FIS's parent leadership and capacity-building work.
Others
- TNTP (The New Teacher Project): National education nonprofit focused on teacher effectiveness and district capacity building; comparable only at the district capacity-building/training level rather than family-engagement, useful as adjacent ecosystem reference.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Families In Schools social profiles
Digital presenceFamilies In Schools financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Families In Schools leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Families In Schools funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Families In Schools M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Families In Schools
What does Families In Schools do?
Families In Schools is a nonprofit organization that delivers family engagement and parent leadership programming to school districts and families. Its core services include the Family Engagement Strategies Institute (a 12-hour professional development program for educators), Parent Warriors and Parent Villages leadership training for parents, customized coaching and consultation for school partners, and the Read LA! literacy campaign suite comprising a mobile app, bookmobile, and advocacy work.
Is Families In Schools a public or private company?
Families In Schools is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Families In Schools founded?
Families In Schools was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Families In Schools based?
Families In Schools is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Families In Schools make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Sponsorship is the primary driver. The others are training and Capacity Building Services.
Who are Families In Schools's main competitors?
California State PTA is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are National PTA and GreatSchools. Emerging players are ParentPowered (formerly Ready4K), Dare2B Digital / EdNavigator-style family advisory models and LENA (Language Environmental Analysis). Direct peers are Raising A Reader, Waterford.org and Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE). TNTP (The New Teacher Project) is listed as an others.
Does Families In Schools have an API?
No public API is recorded for Families In Schools.
What industry is Families In Schools in?
Families In Schools's product category is Educational Family Engagement and Capacity Building Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJALAK, Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy), with a secondary code of BPAGAEAC, Family & Parenting Support Services. Its NAICS code is 624190 and its SIC code is 8300.