Families In Schools

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.

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

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

• Family engagement services
• Parent leadership training
• Early literacy programs
• Education advocacy campaigns
• School capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ReachWellcoreTechnology or Integration · 15 August 2025ReachWell 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 HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIS 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/School2HomeminorOthersMajor sponsor of FIS's 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala.
• Broad FoundationminorOthersMajor sponsor of FIS's 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala.
• Heising-Simons FoundationminorOthersMajor sponsor of FIS's 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala.
• Learning HeroesminorOthersMajor sponsor of FIS's 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala.
• Kaiser PermanenteminorOthersMajor sponsor of FIS's 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala.
• EdVoicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of CA Kids Read Campaign along with FIS and Decoding Dyslexia California to advance evidence-based early literacy legislation in California.
• Decoding Dyslexia CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of CA Kids Read Campaign along with FIS and EdVoice to advance evidence-based early literacy legislation in California.
• Special Needs NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIS 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

Regional 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

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/families-in-schools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Families In Schools