Valley of Esperanza Program

The Valley of Esperanza Program supports families navigate the school system and connects families with community resources. The program supports students and families in a culturally positive way through the leadership of our Valley of Esperanza Parent Leadership. Program staff are bilingual and work within the school, community and directly with youth and their families. 

Our program has a diverse engagement opportunity for families and students through our volunteer and internship opportunities within the school and community, one-on-one support for students and families, family nights, parenting classes, summer STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) camps and through multiple collaborations with our diverse group of partners in Sumner Bonney-Lake and Orting School District, and other Pierce County partners.

For more information, please contact Arely Dominguez Maya at amaya@psesd.org or 253-778-7880 or Maria Vera at mlopez@psesd.org or 360-893-8500.

We offer: 

• Volunteer and internship opportunities within the schools and community
• 1:1 support for students and families
• Group events for youth and families
• Connect families to community resources
• Services to East Pierce County, especially in the Sumner-Bonney Lake and Orting School Districts.

Valley of Esperanza News

Feb 23, 2026 - Staff and members of the parent committee came together to rename the program from the Latinx Advocacy Program to Valley of Esperanza, reflecting the program's growth and direction.

January 5, 2026 - We expanded our program by welcoming Maria Vera to the team, enabling Valley of Esperanza to offer more support to East Pierce County communities. 

April 26, 2025 - Arely Dominguez Maya was awarded the 2025 SBLSD Impact Award in recognition of her outstanding efforts in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District community. Her dedication to creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment has not gone unnoticed, and SBLSD is thrilled to honor the impact of her work.

November 15, 2023 - Latinx Family Advocacy Program was acknowledge by Sumner-Bonney Lake School District for our hard work and dedication for Sumner-Bonney Lake Latinx students. In collaboration with KBTC-PBS, together we offered bilingual and bicultural support to our Latinx students to build bridges between families and our schools. The district thanked Latinx Family Advocate Arely Dominguez-Maya and Liz Chick (PSESD) and Sherri Stanton, Alma Elias Trujillo and Violeta Larin (KBTC) for our masterful work in creating parent groups, student programs and events that build a sense of community and belonging.

October 26, 2023 - Arely Dominguez Maya was one of five individuals to be awarded 2023 Champions for Children recipient. She was recognized for her “commitment to building systems and programs that support all children and families, especially those impacted by systemic oppression”. …her “extraordinary ability to make children and families feel encouraged, uplifted, and supported” in Pierce County.  Champions for Children is part of the Pierce County Early Childhood Network in correlation with First5fundmentals.