Communities In Schools (CIS) of Chicago

Each year, Communities In Schools of Chicago presents the Spirit of Giving Award to both a community partner and a school partner who consistently go above and beyond to positively impact the lives of Chicago public-school students.   Spirit of Giving Award winners largely do this work under the radar – day in and day out – simply because it is the right thing to do. In 2024, the Spirit of Giving Award was presented to Wellness4Every1 (community partner category) and Principal Lawrence Spaulding (school partner category). Words to describe these partners included… consistent, well-respected, responsive, and reliable.   Learn more about these remarkable partners and how they supported students this school year: https://lnkd.in/gMcZE6yx

It’s no secret that youth mental health is in a challenging state in the post-pandemic period. Last year, the CDC released findings which discovered that nearly three in five teenage girls felt persistent sadness – double the rate of boys. Our school-based team addressed this issue in a variety of ways during the 2023-24 school year.   Some facilitated girls group where they created a sense of community and helped the girls develop social and emotional skills. Some brought in CIS community partners like Girls Who Code. And some helped support school-wide events, like a Women’s Empowerment Summit. Learn more about our team's work at: https://lnkd.in/gXMzrZ7m

Applications are open for the Diverse Learners Recovery Fund! A collaboration between the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) and Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Inc., the fund is dedicated to aiding families of students with disabilities impacted by COVID-19. It operates as a lottery-style drawing, offering a one-time cash grant of $500 to eligible students with disabilities (up to $1,000 per household). Learn more and apply at https://www.adamopd.com/ #DiverseLearnersRecoveryFund #StudentsWithDisabilities #DiverseLearners #COVIDFunds #MOPD #AdaSMcKinley #allinforkids

Diploma ✔ You did it, Class of 2024! 🎓 And our team at CIS of Chicago couldn't be prouder. You set strong goals, and with hard work and determination, you achieved those goals. And we can't wait to see what you do next. We were grateful to stand alongside you on your journey to graduation day. 🎉

According to the latest data, 2 out of 5 Chicago Public Schools students were chronically absent during the 2022-23 academic year. That means they missed 18 or more school days. The district’s chronic absence rate is 16 points higher than before the pandemic, and it represents more than 2 million missed school days. "Just like the causes of chronic absenteeism are multifaceted, so, too, are the strategies to improve attendance," CIS of Chicago CEO Jane Mentzinger writes in an op-ed in today's Crain's Chicago Business. Providing wraparound services, offering more tutoring and mental health support, and strengthening bonds between students and caring adults in the school building are a few of the strategies Jane addresses in the full article here:

Each spring, CIS of Chicago recognizes hand-working students who set goals to improve their attendance, behavior, grades, or social and emotional skills -- and made tremendous progress with the help of their CIS Student Supports Managers. We honor these students with a CIS Tenacity Award and provide them with a gift card, a certificate of achievement, and a personalized celebration at their school. As important as the cash award is the recognition for students who dug in, stayed hopeful, and persevered. We invite you to meet some of our 2024 Tenacity Award winners and read their stories on our website:

Exciting news! CIS of Chicago has been awarded a grant from Cook County Health's Stronger Together initiative, which aims to address behavioral health inequities across the region. The County’s support will help our team continue to provide evidence-based mental health supports to schools in underserved communities across the city. #mentalhealthmatters #allinforkids Learn more here:

Meet Gianna, one of our CIS students who graduated just last year. Gianna worked with the CIS Student Supports Manager based at her school, Maria Watson, for help with stress management and self-advocacy. Gianna and Maria met regularly to discuss her life goals – and how she could reach those goals by making healthy decisions. One year post-graduation, Gianna is thriving. She’s attending City Colleges of Chicago while managing a nail-design business, and she’s working at a local nonprofit to teach a leadership course to elementary girls. “Ms. Maria has helped me with my success a lot because she taught me how to advocate for myself,” Gianna said. “She helped me grow mentally and emotionally, to be in a better place. She taught me how to make decisions based on how I want my future to look and I'm doing that each day.” We caught up with Maria and Gianna recently. Watch our conversation with them here: 

School Partnership Specialist Kimberly Ordonez recently received hand-written notes and pictures from students at one of our Southwest Side schools, detailing their experiences with CIS programs, and we can't help but smile at these creations from our young people. It's notes like these that brighten our days! ☀

This spring, CIS Student Supports Manager Bernadette launched an art club for middle-school students to great success. Students met after school once a week and were provided with a space to express themselves and explore a variety of mediums. Perhaps most importantly, the students learned how to use art to embrace uncertainty, adapt along the way, and practice mindfulness. Read more: