We believe that a stable, productive household is a key factor in supporting healthy development and subsequent academic outcomes. To improve student success, our Parent Empowerment Program is designed to strengthen the home environment by providing targeted support to parents/guardians. The program organizes its workshops and activities around the theme of “Strengthening Parents for Student Success.”

As part of our Project Ready programs, parents of students in all grade levels are invited to participate in a variety of workshops that address many of the needs facing our participants’ families. These workshops provide topical information, tools and educational materials to parents/guardians and serve as an introduction to the services and resources available to them.

Family-focused gatherings are planned during every quarter throughout the year for those parents that completed the educational workshop during the previous month. Parents/guardians of students in all grade levels can also request further assistance to address a specific issue for themselves or on behalf of their student through one-on-one meetings.

A family that needs services or assistance beyond the scope of what is provided by Chicago Urban League (public benefits, health, mental health, substance use, disability services) will be provided referrals to external partners.

We offer our parents the following programming:

• Digital Literacy- The Chicago Urban League outreach program to assist CPS families and community members with digital literacy support.  We offer free digital literacy courses that cover Microsoft 365, which entails Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Teams, and we also offer support on using Social Media. In addition, provide training on Google Docs, resumes, and job interviewing. Digital literacy classes are administered remote (online) via Zoom and in- person. If you are interested in receiving these services and support on enrolling, contact Nakia Samuels at nsamuels@chiul.org.

• Hope Chicago- The Chicago Urban League is a community partner with HOPE Chicago on their Parent Scholar Program. The Parent Scholar program is an opportunity for a parent or a guardian of a HOPE Scholar to receive support through their child’s postsecondary education. The support extended to the parents are centered around: preparing them to assist their child(ren) their the college process; if one of the parents or guardians in the household wants to attend college or obtain better employment we are available to assist them through this process. If you are interested in receiving these services and support on enrolling, contact Melissa Nickerson at mnickerson@chiul.org.

For more information about our Parent Empowerment Program, contact Angela Hamilton, Vice President of the Youth Services Center at ahamilton@chiul.org.