The Concilio

Involved Parents, Healthier Families, Stronger Communities

Our Mission

To build stronger communities by empowering parents to improve the education and health of their families.

The Concilio is fulfilling this mission every day by…

• teaching parents the importance of their involvement in their children’s education and how to get involved
• convincing students and families that college is a viable option
• connecting individuals to affordable health care and educating the community about healthy lifestyles

About Us

The Concilio was founded in 1981 to address the lack of culturally and linguistically effective services for Hispanics by traditionally non-Hispanic service providers. This issue is still relevant today as the Hispanic population continues to grow and remains underserved. The Concilio serves more than 10,000 Hispanics each year through its core programs: Community Health and Education. Our goal is to deliver results that support a healthy, well-educated, and financially stable Dallas/Fort Worth metro area.

Hispanics – The Emerging Majority

Nationally, Hispanics make up almost 15% of the population and are the largest minority group in the country. Locally, Hispanics already make up the largest community in Dallas County at 37.7% of the total population. And in the city of Dallas, the Hispanic community makes up 43.1% of the population.

Hispanics are a diverse people, coming from 19 countries in Latin America as well as Spain. They are not a race of people; rather, they represent different races and origins. Many Hispanics are recent immigrants with limited ability to speak English, low levels of income and low levels of education. They are also often unfamiliar with the American systems of health care, labor, human rights, and education. This can create misunderstanding and mistrust between the Hispanic community and the wider Dallas community.

As the population continues to grow—82% of the babies born in Parkland Hospital are Hispanic—it will increase the need for culturally-sensitive services for this population.

Our Programs

Community Health Our health team provides grassroots outreach to address growing concerns about obesity and diabetes among Hispanics, as well as the high number of uninsured persons living in Texas. We provide diabetes management classes, nutrition education classes, physical activity groups, prescription assistance programs, and referrals to low-cost medical care. Our annual free health fair – ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving! – reaches over 7,000 participants.

Education Hispanics make up over 67% of students in Dallas ISD, and the dropout rate for Hispanics in Dallas County is the highest among all ethnicities. The Concilio empowers families to take control of education by teaching courses in parent involvement, a vital missing link in these students’ education process. The courses held at local schools teach parents their rights, roles and responsibilities in the American school system.