Our mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
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.
Communities In Schools (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. Through all this work, CIS of Chicago empowers students to feel safe and secure, unlock their potential, and ultimately achieve in school and life.
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 2021-22 school year
Latest News
Newsradio WBBM: Non-profit provides basic supplies to CPS students
“We have many many willing partners that are in this space working with people across the region to source items that families need.” CIS of
The 74: Ways to Create Calming Classrooms
CIS of Chicago is fortunate to have a team with extensive experience in areas like partnership building, developmental relationships, and youth mental health. With new
Fox 32: 500 Winter Coats Distributed to Chicago Families in Need
CIS’ Partnership Team, in collaboration with Macy’s and Soles4Souls, helped meet the fundamental needs of students and families this winter season. They hosted an event
Yesterday’s snow didn’t stop students from our partner Morrill E.S from having a great visit to our latest Inspiring Futures program at @fly2ohare
Students enjoyed a great behind-the-scenes tour of United’s hub operation - including seeing where checked baggage actually goes, boarding a 767 wide-body aircraft, AND talking to the pilot!
Major shoutout to the BEACON team at @united for hosting us yesterday and helping our students learn about so many cool career pathways in the aviation industry! ✈️🛫
#allinforkids
#careereducation
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Journaling is one of many strategies our school-based staff teach students as a way to cope with stress, explore their creativity, and track progress toward personal goals.
This year our team will provide direct 1-on-1 support to 1,400 students across Chicago. It’s our privilege to play a helping role in each of their educational journeys.
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To paraphrase Communities In Schools’ founder Bill Milliken: It’s relationships, not programs, that positively impact young people.
No wonder relationships is one of our core values.
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“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
#mlkday2023 ... See MoreSee Less
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The path to post-secondary success doesn’t start in high school. It has to begin earlier to help students learn about all the options available to them.
That’s why we work with our strong network of community partners and business partners to provide students in our elementary schools and high schools with engaging college and career learning activities. From field trips to downtown office buildings to career speakers and more, we are helping schools across Chicago access these kinds of resources.
Thanks to all of our partners who support us in this important work!
#collegeandcareer
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Rishona and Shontierra had fun visiting @klairmontkollections yesterday and exploring potential partnership opportunities.
Klairmont Kollections is a nonprofit that seeks to educate current and future generations on the transformational role that automobiles and their creators have played throughout history. They have more than 300 awesome cars they use to educate visitors on the role of STEAM in the automotive industry - and to inspire future engineers to dream BIG and be innovative.
Thanks for hosting us @klairmontkollections !!!
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We wish you a wonderful holiday season, from our CIS of Chicago family to yours! ❄️ ... See MoreSee Less
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With 25 new partners added to our network this year, CIS School Partnership Specialists have been working diligently to link them with tailored supports.
Here's a look at the experience of one of CIS’ new school partners, Herzl School of Excellence, and how CIS' Jill Hennessy connected the school with several resources, across grade levels! ... See MoreSee Less
Through the Eyes of a New CIS of Chicago School Partner
cisofchicago.medium.com
By Katie Rankin, Communications Specialist, Communities In Schools of ChicagoComment on Facebook
We asked community organizations in our network:
"If you were casually chatting with a colleague over lunch and they ask why you partner with CIS of Chicago, how would you respond?"
Here is what they said: ... See MoreSee Less
Why Should Community Organizations Partner with CIS of Chicago? - Communities In Schools of Chicago
www.cisofchicago.org
Communities In Schools of Chicago partners with over 200 organizations across the city to connect students and their families directly with community-basedComment on Facebook
Our Partnership Team was delighted to provide a donation of 100 box meals to the students and families of one of our CIS partner schools! #allinforkids ... See MoreSee Less
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Now that the fall semester is coming to a close, we're reflecting on all the positive connections we were able to create for students, families, schools, and community partners -- and we're feeling a sense of deep gratitude for our network.
Here were some fall photo highlights from folks across the CIS of Chicago organization! ... See MoreSee Less
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CIS’ Katia and Jill visited one of our community partners, ~Nois, recently at the International Museum of Surgical Science! ~Nois is a saxophone quartet dedicated to performing contemporary music, and they partner with CIS to make their Young Creators Fellowship Program available to Chicago public-school students. #allinforkids ... See MoreSee Less
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