Our mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
UNLOCKING STUDENT POTENTIAL
For 35 years, Communities In Schools of Chicago has cultivated student potential throughout the city. Each year, our team at CIS of Chicago surrounds tens of thousands of young people with support so they can stay on their path to high school graduation and achieve in life.
When our young people succeed, our whole city succeeds. When they reach their potential, the future is bright.
Impact In Our Community
Chicago Public Schools students benefited from programs and services provided by or connected through CIS of Chicago.*
students in grades K-12 were served by Student Supports Managers. Together, they created a plan to develop the skills and access the resources these students need to reach their full potential.*
schools were served by CIS team members, who linked community partner programming that addressed student and school needs.*
*Data from the 2022-23 school year
PROVIDING HOLISTIC SUPPORT
Chicago’s public-school students and their families have endured unprecedented challenges since the start of the decade. A global pandemic, increased violence, and rising economic insecurity have taken a significant toll on our schools. The U.S. Surgeon General recently named mental health as an area of serious concern for today’s youth and issued a call to action for all caring adults.
CIS of Chicago responds to these challenges by ensuring that students have access to the supports they need to strengthen their mental health and overall wellbeing. Our team does this by providing direct services to individual students, as well as coordinating the supports provided by community partners, to bolster entire school communities.
Latest News
Violence Reduction the Subject of 2 Students’ Powerful Essays for the Do The Write Thing Challenge
Two outstanding students from CIS of Chicago’s partner schools were named Chicago’s ambassadors for the Do The Write Thing challenge. They were invited onto Fox32’s Good Day Chicago show to share their insights on violence reduction and peace-making strategies.
Fox 32: 800 Chicago Students Express Powerful Views On Violence Prevention
Communities In Schools of Chicago co-sponsors student writing contest to raise awareness of violence prevention
Fox 32: CIS Team Member Supports Students Impacted by Violence
CIS Team Member speaks with news media about her work supporting students impacted by violence.
Our annual event was a huge success, and we were thrilled to have a compelling video during the evening to engage our audience in CIS' mission and impact -- thanks to Massive Mission.
Learn more about all the cool ways they're helping businesses and nonprofits make their cases with video assets at www.massivemission.com/ ... See MoreSee Less
Fox 32 Chicago's Anita Blanton spoke with CIS Student Supports Manager Latonya Booker about her important work on the West Side supporting students impacted by violence.
Latonya provides direct support to students individually and in groups, and she builds safe, trusting spaces for young people to gain social and emotional skills, build healthy relationships, and get the resources they need to stay on the path to graduation. Learn more about her work in the interview here: ... See MoreSee Less
Latonya Booker helps students escape the cycle of grief with CIS
www.fox32chicago.com
Latonya Booker has been through a lot in her life and she has a passion for helping Chicago’s young people push through their similar circumstances toward success.May is #mentalhealthawarenessmonth, and it's more important than ever that every caring adult gets involved in what the Surgeon General has called an 'all-of-society effort' to support our youth's mental wellbeing.
In an op-ed published in today's Chicago Sun-Times, our Chief Innovation and Communications Officer Bart St. John reflects on his work as a certified Youth Mental Heath First Aid instructor and offers insights into how we can enlist even more people to be protective factors in the lives of our students.
One important step anyone can take to get involved is by signing up for a Youth Mental Health First Aid Course. CIS of Chicago has two upcoming trainings open to the public on May 17 and June 11. Visit www.cisofchicago.org/mhfa/ to sign up.
And read his op-ed here: ... See MoreSee Less
Too many kids and teens struggle with mental health crises. Adults can do more to help them cope.
chicago.suntimes.com
One in five adolescents experiences a major depressive episode each year. Adults must understand how to get kids help, according to the CDC.Do you have the tools you need to recognize and respond to youth experiencing a mental health crisis?
Sign up for our Youth Mental Health First Aid training at the link below! We’re offering sessions on May 17 and June 11.
#allinforkids #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthawarenessmonth
www.cisofchicago.org/mhfa/ ... See MoreSee Less
We can’t wait to gather with friends and supporters this week to build brighter futures for Chicago’s young people. Special thanks to one of our media sponsors, Massive Mission, for helping us develop a unique video for the occasion! 🎥 ... See MoreSee Less
This week, 2023 Chicago Ambassador for the National Campaign to Stop Violence - Do the Write Thing challenge had her voice heard by some of our nation’s leaders! Summer Bell from Eberhart Elementary School shared her award-winning essay with the Attorneys General from across the United States as part of the annual Symposium of the National Association of Attorneys General, held in Chicago this year. Our very own Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul got a chance to congratulate Summer and her mom. Summer also proudly shared the stage with Attorney General Schwalb from Washington, D.C., and Attorney General Yost from Ohio.
Communities In Schools of Chicago is proud to support Do the Write Thing and amplify the voices of young people as they share their thoughts on youth violence, its causes, and the solutions. Students write; we listen. ... See MoreSee Less
S/O to the team at Massive Mission for helping us bring our story to life for a special video project! We can’t wait to share the final product 🎥 ... See MoreSee Less
Meet Maria, our Director of Institutional Giving! Maria loves listening to live music, exploring new art, hiking, traveling, and spending quality time with friends and family.
What's her favorite part of the job? "Sharing my enthusiasm for advancing education equity for young people," Maria said, "and being able to build relationships with individuals who are invested in supporting our mission and impact."
We're happy to have you on the team, Maria! ... See MoreSee Less
With a presence at more than a third of Chicago Public Schools, our impact is city-wide — and we love when we can provide 1:1 support to young people throughout their entire educational journey.
Today, two of our high school Supports Managers, Katie and Arnetra, visited a CIS elementary school and spoke with eighth graders attending their schools next year about what to expect and the types of support they provide.
Students were so engaged and asked a lot of questions, said Supports Manager Juanita. ... See MoreSee Less
Mrs. Shlinda Greer is invested in the future of Chicago’s young people.
For the past eight years, she has worked in Chicago Public Schools — this year on the South Side teaching a college and career readiness seminar. She coaches high school volleyball and basketball. She just completed her principalship certification from Clark Atlanta University. And she’s currently working on her PhD.
When Mrs. Greer was looking for more ways to build her college and career curriculum this year and give students opportunities to connect with resources in their city, she reached out to the team at Communities In Schools (CIS) of Chicago.
Not only did Mrs. Greer have a personal connection to CIS — her daughter, Shontierra, serves as CIS’ Academic Enrichment Partnership Specialist — she also had a CIS Student Supports Manager embedded in her school community.
Learn more about how Mrs. Greer leaned on CIS of Chicago to create brighter futures for her students. ... See MoreSee Less
Mother and Daughter Invested in Community Impact - Communities In Schools of Chicago
www.cisofchicago.org
For the past eight years, she has worked in Chicago Public Schools – this year on the South Side teaching a college and career readiness seminar. She coachesSolar eclipse viewing today from CIS HQ! ☀️🌑 ... See MoreSee Less
Our Tech Operations Coordinator Sheila has been with CIS of Chicago for a little over a year, and the positive impact of her work is felt across the organization! We asked her what her favorite part of the job is, and she shared, "Finding solutions to issues that arise, meeting all my coworkers, and being able to walk to work." We appreciate you, Sheila! ... See MoreSee Less