Dane County será una comunidad donde las familias latinas pueden aspirar hacia arriba, para alcanzar sus objetivos personales y sueños porque se sienten comprometidos y reforzada con las herramientas para el éxito.

ABOUT CENTRO

Centro Hispano of Dane County's mission is Empowering Youth, Strengthening Families, Engaging the Community. We aspire to a vision where Dane County, Wisconsin will be a community where Latino families can aspire upward, to reach their personal goals and dreams because they feel engaged and strengthened with the tools for success. 

History
Centro Hispano of Dane County (Centro) was founded in 1983 by a group of community volunteers, including Ilda Thomas, who also served as the agency’s first executive director, to meet the emergent needs of Cuban refugees recently settled in Madison. However, as the Latino community in Dane County grew and diversified over the years, so did Centro’s programs and services. In 2006, Centro Hispano became the owner of an 18,000 square foot facility at 810 West Badger Road in the heart of Madison’s south side.  The agency now serves 2,500 + families and 6,000 + individuals through its bilingual programs and services each year. ​

Mission & Vision
​Our mission is Empowering Youth, Strengthening Families, Engaging the Community in such a way that Dane County will be a community where Latino families can aspire upward, to reach their personal goals and dreams because they feel engaged and strengthened with the tools for success. From the strong foundation Ilda Thomas and others gave the agency, Centro has grown to have over 25 paid staff and an operational budget of over $1.5 million annually. The agency serves 2,500 + families and 6,000 + individuals through its programs and services each year.

OUR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

EMPOWERING YOUTH:  Through our youth programs -- Juventud (middle school), Escalera (high school), and [Re]Generacion -- Centro focuses on shaping a better life for young Latinos. Our goal is to see Latino youth prepared to succeed in life by finishing school prepared for post-secondary education. Centro’s youth programs provide services for an estimated 250 youth grades 6-12 in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD). Students progress as a cohort through the pathway we have setup between middle and high school, improve their academic performance, graduate on time, and attend college while forging a strong sense of personal identity.  Centro is also a bilingual host site for Play & Learn, a free program offered by MMSD for children 0-5 and their parents or caregivers.

The Juventud Program, embedded in the MMSD middle schools, allows youth to explore their cultural identity and build self-esteem while providing one-on-one academic support. The Escalera Program, also embedded within MMSD high schools, works with students focusing on career awareness, higher education, and preparation for life after high school. 100% of our Escalera students are working and attending school and 100% have graduated from high school in the past 5 years. Finally, [Re]Generación works with youth to develop leadership, advocacy and self confidence through discussions, workshops and personal expression.

STRENGTHENING FAMILIES: While youth are our future, we do not forget that youth cannot succeed without strong families. At Centro we offer services to provide our families with the basic support and resources they need to address a variety of issues affecting their everyday lives such as fraud, unemployment, legal issues, healthcare and much more. Centro also has case-managers who provide specialized bilingual assistance with immigration and criminal justice cases. Each case manager works with hundreds of clients and families per year. Our adult Caminos (Career) Pathways focuses on building career tracks for Latinos in the fields of healthcare and finance through free 10-week training courses to become a Certified Nursing Assistant or Teller respectively. Our Wellness Program brings our community together around issues and activities related to food, nutrition, and well-being.
​

ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY: Throughout the year Centro provides a constant space for Latinos of Dane County and their allies to gather. We hold over 100 community events a year that bring together local leaders and community members to shape the future for Latinos in Dane County, celebrate our cultural identity, and engage with each other.  Our weekly Mercadito, ongoing workshops and wellness classes make Centro a popular location for people to come to throughout the year.  We also hold community forums where community members can help shape what type of programming Centro creates in the future. Our 18,000 square foot facility, two parking lots and community gardens offer plenty of unique spaces to accommodate a variety of activities and events simultaneously.