It is widely acknowledged that first-generation and low-income students face specific barriers to their success. While these barriers may include a lack of access to financial resources, that is only part of the picture. In South Texas, one nonprofit organization believes that wraparound support services are crucial to a person’s success, and is currently conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to prove this.
For over 30 years, the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA) has been providing critical support for workforce and economic development to individuals in the community. Their wraparound services help low-income residents pursue higher education degrees or workforce development certifications, setting them on the path to high-demand careers.
“What we’re hoping to demonstrate in the long run is that individuals who receive VIDA’s support services are a lot more successful in terms of credential attainment, degree attainment, as well as the time it takes them to graduate.”
VIDA recently concluded its first year of a three-year RCT to learn more about the effectiveness and impact of its work. This research project will continue to follow up with study participants to determine how they compare with those who do not receive the type of support services that VIDA offers.
“What we’re hoping to demonstrate in the long run is that individuals who receive VIDA’s support services are a lot more successful in terms of credential attainment, degree attainment, as well as the time it takes them to graduate,” said Felida Villareal, the president and CEO of VIDA, in an interview with NPQ.
When a person first connects with VIDA, the organization conducts a thorough assessment of their background, environment, and circumstances to determine the barriers to their job training or college completion. From there, VIDA is able to offer a wide array of financial resources to help with needs like childcare, transportation, and other basic needs that may present obstacles to a person’s job training success. Additionally, for those pursuing higher education, VIDA offers financial assistance for any academic-related costs, including tuition, textbooks, tools, and other program-specific expenses.
“It really goes above and beyond just making college and higher ed accessible and more affordable.”
Perhaps one of VIDA’s most helpful supports is individualized career counseling. “I know that hearing firsthand from students and our counselors, it really has a tremendous impact on our student success, especially because when you are seeking an education at the college or university, it can be overwhelming because there’s a lot of resources, but there’s also a lot of lack of knowledge.” Villareal said.
As Villareal notes, career advisors in higher education often have hundreds of students on their caseload. In contrast, VIDA career counselors have a caseload of no more than 80 people, allowing them to offer more individualized support.
Sign up for our free newsletters
Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.
VIDA participants are connected with a full-time team of career counselors who check in with them every week to address any challenges that arise during their job training program or college journey. VIDA also offers group counseling sessions to promote peer-to-peer learning.
“They’re really able to develop that one-on-one relationship with their students to really get to know them and understand what their needs are to empower them to be successful,” Villareal said of the career counselors.
Additionally, Villareal believes that the childcare VIDA offers is crucial to individuals’ success, particularly because the average age of a VIDA participant is 27 years old.
Villareal believes that access to these support services is a significant reason for VIDA’s year-to-year persistence rate of above 90 percent, higher than those of students at local colleges.
“For every dollar invested in VIDA, there is a return on the investment of over $15 to the communities we serve.”
She points to research from The Institute of College Access and Success (TICAS) that found that less than half of full-time Pell grant recipients graduate within six years. For Villareal, this is a sign that it is not just enough to give people financial resources—they also need wraparound support.
“It really goes above and beyond just making college and higher ed accessible and more affordable,” she said. “I really think there should be a higher priority in expanding awareness on the value of support services and expanding investment in resources and funding for programs like VIDA on a national scope.”
Villareal notes that ensuring the success of these individuals also has broader implications for the community. In partnership with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, VIDA conducts an economic impact report every four to five years, assessing the impact of its services across the region.
“In the most recent impact report that we’ve done with them,” Villareal said, “they calculated that for every dollar invested in VIDA, there is a return on the investment of over $15 to the communities we serve.”
