Families In Schools

08/26/2026

California has enacted sweeping education governance reforms through AB 181. Now comes the hard part: implementation.

FIS connected with Lupita Cortez Alcalá, Executive Director of Policy Analysis for California Education, to discuss what the law means for students and families and the key indicators to watch as these changes take shape.

🔗 Read the interview: bit.ly/iww-lupita-cortez-alcala

08/25/2026

Books, pancakes, and fire trucks made for a great morning in the San Fernando Valley! 📚🥞🚒

Read LA! Literacy Ambassador Mireya G. joined the community for a celebration honoring LA’s firefighters, where FIS shared free books and literacy resources with children, parents, and caregivers.

Families also enjoyed a pancake breakfast, fire truck tours, live entertainment, and more with the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and especially to the firefighters who serve and support our Los Angeles communities every day! ❤️

08/20/2026

Enrollment at the Los Angeles Unified School District has fallen by more than 40% since 2002, resulting in major budget cuts that have affected students.

ABC7 recently interviewed FIS parent volunteer and Literacy Ambassador Jovanna M., who shared the impact of programs being cut and grades being merged at her sons’ schools.

🎥 Watch the report: https://bit.ly/abc7-lausd-enrollment-decline

08/19/2026

Congratulations to FIS Board Secretary Maryann Reyes for her new appointment as Associate Vice President of Government Relations at CSU Stanislaus! 🎉

We’re excited to see the impact she will make for students across California—particularly those from underrepresented communities.

08/18/2026

FIS has finished our third annual Back-to-School Week, welcoming students and families into the new school year by uplifting and celebrating the joy of reading! 🏫

We concluded our back-to-school events at the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Main Street Elementary in South LA, where children and families all got free books, literacy resources, and refreshments to start the school day on the right track. 📚

Thank you to Principal Eva Rodriguez-Chavez, Dr. Charles D. Smith from the Black Student Achievement Plan team, and the Main Street Elementary community for being the last stop of our Welcome Back to School with Read LA! festivities!

08/18/2026

08/18/2026

FIS kept the back-to-school celebrations going in South LA at KIPP Ignite Academy and McKinley Avenue Elementary! 🏫

On Saturday, FIS stopped at KIPP SoCal Public Schools with the Read LA! Bookmobile, giving children and families the opportunity to explore the bookmobile and pick out free books to continue their literacy journeys at home. 🚗

Today, FIS returned to the Los Angeles Unified School District to welcome more students to the start of the new school year, distributing free books and literacy resources so families can build their home libraries and strengthen their children’s daily reading habits. 📚

Thank you to KIPP Ignite Academy, McKinley Avenue Elementary, and Dr. Charles D. Smith from the Black Student Achievement Plan team for having us! We’re excited to wrap up the last of our Back-to-School week events tomorrow and bring even more joyful literacy into students’ lives.

08/14/2026

Celebrating the second stop of our Back-to-School Week events, today at Windsor Hills Elementary in View Park-Windsor Hills! 🏫

FIS welcomed students and families back for the 2026-27 school year, spreading a love for reading with free books, early literacy resources, and morning refreshments to start the day. 📚

Thank you to the Windsor Hills Elementary community, Principal Bullard, Board Member Sherlett Hendy Newbill, and Dr. Travis Brandy and Dr. Charles D. Smith from the Black Student Achievement Plan team for having us! We can’t wait to continue the back-to-school festivities with the Los Angeles Unified School District on Monday next week.

08/13/2026

What a way to welcome students back to school! 🏫

Today, FIS brought the Read LA! Bookmobile to Napa Street Elementary in Northridge, joining Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Andrés E. Chait, Board President Scott Mark Schmerelson, and Councilmember John Lee to welcome students and families back for a new school year.

Students received free books from the Bookmobile, while we connected with families and educators, sharing in the excitement of a new year of learning!

Thank you to the Napa Street Elementary community for having us! We’re excited to keep the Read LA! Bookmobile rolling to more schools throughout our third annual Back-to-School Week. 🚗📚

08/13/2026