Start young, get parents involved

We support Chicago Public Schools’ call for parental involvement in education in its five-year action plan [“Byrd-Bennett wants to get CPS students prepared for college,” June 10].

We know from more than a century of work in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods that parental involvement is an integral part of the student success equation.

What Chicago Commons’ parents may lack in resources, they make up for in will and commitment: 100 percent of our early education parents participate in twice-a-year home visits designed to ensure that learning continues at home and complements school-based teaching. Another key driver is monthly parent committee meetings run by the parents themselves.

When parents have a voice and are empowered to use it, children’s lives are transformed.

Our children heading to kindergarten in the fall demonstrate that success is possible: 91 percent exceeded readiness in literacy; 90 percent exceeded readiness in social, emotional and gross motor skills; 89 percent exceeded readiness in the language and cognitive domains; and 81 percent exceeded readiness in math.

When we create a support system committed to education at every touchpoint in a child’s life, students succeed, and so do our communities and our city.

Betsy Altman,

Interim Executive Director, Chicago Commons

Chicago Commons' Annual Meeting

On June 11th, Chicago Commons will host its Annual Meeting at Zed 451 to celebrate 118 years of service in Chicago.

In 1897 we opened one of Chicago's first kindergartens.  Today, more than a century later, we serve more than 3,000 individuals impacting nearly 10,000 families by providing child care, youth programming, adult education and senior services.

We invite you to join us next Tuesday at Zed 451 at 5:30 p.m..  Zed 451 is located at 739 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654.  To RSVP contact Erin Cross at crosse@chicagocommons.org or call (773) 826-3771.

Ivan Medina, Clinical Instructor at Loyola's School or Social Work will give a public talk on "The Challenge of Staying Mission Driven in Changing Environments".

Complimentary cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served. Free shuttle service is available for pick-up and drop-off within the city.  Please let us know if you would like to use this complimentary service in your RSVP.

We look forward to seeing you June 11th.

Erin C.
Agency Communications Coordinator

Preschool Education Community Forum

On June 5^th, Commons will partner with Catalyst Chicago in presenting Preschool Education: The Latest in Policy and Practice.  This community forum will feature a panelist discussion on emerging policies and best practices in early childhood education.

Panelist include:

·         Nancy Radner, Director of Illinois Policy, Ounce of Prevention Fund

·         Carlos Fortenberry, Director of Early Learning Programs, Illinois Action for Children

·         Nathalis Reyes, Preschool for All Teach Coach, Illinois Action for Children

·         Jan Stepto-Millett, Vice President of Early Childhood Services, Children’s Home and Aid

·         Cynthia Hill, Family Engagement Coordinator, Children’s Home and Aid

The forum begins at 4:30 p.m. and will be held at Chicago Commons’ Paulo Freire Family Center located at 1653 West 43^rd Street near Ashland.

For more information, contact Erin Cross at (773) 826-3771 or email crosse@chicagocommons.org.

-Erin Cross

Assistant of the Year

Assistant of the Year

 

Known to most as Bubbles for her bubbling personality, Ethel Watts was all smiles on Wednesday when she was named “Assistant of the Year” by Chicago Commons’ Home Care.  Nominated by her supervisor, Marketta Bryant for her initiative, quality of work and reliability, Ethel has more than satisfied her role as Home Care Assistant.

 

Clients praise Bubbles for her attentiveness and compassion in going out of her way to make them feel comfortable in their home.  Even to the point of purchasing cleaning supplies and décor to create a smile on her client’s face. She also ensures that the cleaning is done properly by asking her clients how they desire tasks to be accomplished.

 

Aside from her nurturing and professional demeanor, Ethel took a six-week computer course to help her locate additional resources for her clients. 

 

We congratulate Ms. Ethel Watts on a job well done.

Cary Crawford
Vice President of Senior Care
 

The Age of Networks

We live in the age of networks. 

An important survey of human services trends, Disruptive Forces, describes the need to brand causes rather than organizations.  Related to this is the growing importance of formal networks of organizations, rather than individual organizations, as the key to driving social change.

Chicago Commons has embraced this view of the world, but it is a viewpoint that requires a lot of skill in terms of management and organizing.   Networks can get messy really fast when strong leadership is absent.

Fortunately, Commons is part of some networks with strong leaders:  Pilsen Planning Committee, Humboldt Park New Communities, West Humboldt Park Educational Pathways, Chicago Benchmarking Collaborative, The Back Office Cooperative and Together 4 Health to name a few.  The future of Chicago Commons will be one of shared success.

The Tie That Binds

Commons has had six Executive Directors in its 118 year history.  On May 7th, I am leaving to move to Oregon after a great 8 years as Director and 15 years of service to Commons.  The fact that my tenure is "short" compared to past Directors is amazing to me.   

I have been thinking about exactly what kept me here so long?  

The tie that binds is the historic, inspirational culture of this organization.  

In the words of Commons’ founder, Graham Taylor, this is a place that truly works WITH people, not just FOR them.  This is such an important distinction.  There are no hand-outs at Commons.  Successes are earned here.  

This is a place (a ‘Commons’) where people come together to make life better on an individual, family and community level.  I witnessed countless lives improved for the better.  And my own life has improved by sharing in the mission with so many other wonderful people.  The lessons I have learned here will serve me well for the rest of my life.  And I will always consider myself part of the Commons’ family.

Cutting Terraces into the "Cliff"

Mayor Emanuel and City of Chicago are starting to release information about the Ready to Learn initiative (which was announced last year at the Commons' Nia Family Center!) .

One of the first highlights, a new "sliding scale" allowing parents to pay for half-day Pre-K according to their ability to pay.  Sun times headline is that more affluent families will pay up to $4,000 per year for a half day Pre-K program.  But this misses the point a little.

This new sliding scale is a big step away from the awful "eligibility cliff" that is the norm in early learning programs for parents with modest incomes (see past blog post on the cliff.)   This approach creates a "terraced hillside" instead of a cliff that boots parents from the program once their income crosses an invisible line.

Unfortunately, this will only apply to the city's Pre-K program, and will not change Head Start or State funded Child Care programs (Commons' operates both of these).  So the cliff will continue to a big problem for many parents and many programs like Commons.  Let's hope President Obama's stated desire to create a more terraced approach will eventually move forward in Congress!

Nothing Fair about it

The sequester is an "across the board" cut that slashes all discretionary federal spending.  Across the board cuts are sometimes called "fair" because they are proportional.  But there is nothing fair about this one.

There has been some good coverage showing how geographically skewed the cuts are.  States like Alaska, New Mexico, Kentucky, Alabama and Virginia will take the brunt.

Another group taking the big hit is low-income families with children.  Cutting Head Start is particularly short-sighted.  By either reducing number of days that programs are open or cutting number slots, it will make it more difficult for parents to work and go to school.  Reducing family stability and opportunities for early learning is as terrible for our economy as it is for the individual families.

Let's get something done Congress... go here to find your Congressperson's phone number and tell them to fix this.

Early Learning Push

Watch for early childhood education in President Obama's State of the Union on Tuesday.  There are rumors that he is considering a big push in early learning.

At Chicago Commons, any focus on early learning is welcome news overall.  But, there is a lingering question:  Will this create more robust support for quality early learning or will it allow state governments to serve more children by watering down quality?

One idea to consider -- extend subsidies to working and middle class, but require these families to pay a significant share of the cost.  And at the same time, give special subsidies to high poverty neighborhoods that have created local educational plans/systems.  Give these neighborhoods special funding for early learning to underwrite high quality early learning centers, like what Chicago Commons.  These centers are irreplaceable and reach the highest need families.  And I, for one, am worried that the effort to extend pre-k to the middle class (while good) will actually threaten the survival of high quality centers that are focused on serving the lowest income families.

Economic Glimmers

Re-assuring to see some glimmers of economic hope in Crain's, we sure need it.  Awesome to see Bob Smietana, CEO at HSA Commercial Real Estate and Commons' Board Member, get a shout-out for recent positive moves.

However, the non-profit outlook was pretty gloomy.  In large part due to ridiculous situation in Springfield.  It is unconscionable there is NO action on pensions yet.  Legislators will not hesitate to cut social services again this year, like they did last year.  But state pensions?  So far, untouchable.

We all need to keep raising our voices for fairness in Springfield.  Unfortunately, EVERYONE needs to pay for the years of irresponsibility.  But so far it is largely being borne by the poor and vulnerable.  And if we keep this up, the economic glimmers of hope in Chicago will not be sustainable.

Future of Health Care

The future of health care is all about "networks" and "outcomes".  Although Commons is not a traditional "medical" organization, we can help improve health outcomes.

Together4Health is a new network of groups that are going to be part of an experiment to work with 1,000 patients to improve health outcomes while also reducing health care expenditures.  See article in Crains.

Chicago Commons Home Care and Adult Day Care will play a role in this creative effort.  It is going to be journey and we are going to learn a lot..  join us and follow along!

Exercise Your Rights!

Voting is such a fundamental right, one that we must not take for granted!

No matter your political persuasion, please take the time to vote.

At the end of September, during National Voter Registration Day, Chicago Commons registered 25 new voters at the Nia Family Center and Adult Education and Training Center (ETC).

It is not too late to register to vote, registration locations can be found here.

And early voting is underway also, location look up here.

Never too early

La Casa is a new student dormitory for first generation college students located in the Pilsen neighborhood.  It is right across from the Commons' Guadalupano Center and was built by our partner, the Resurrection Project.  It is a new model for college housing that is drawing national attention.

And today, children from Guadalupano presented college flags to Governor Quinn at the opening, showing that it is never too early to start thinking about college!

Post Strike

Great story on WBEZ today on how the teacher strike is resulting in more collaboration among teachers.  Though sad to think this hasn't been the norm at schools.  There is something fundamental missing in the way our public education systems are structured.

An active dialogue among teachers is absolutely crucial to creating a dynamic, effective educational environment.  At Commons, we are very clear about the need for teachers to meet, dialogue and plan together.  It is a job requirement!  And it also makes this work a joy.

Hopefully more of this collaborative spirit will continue to spread in the public schools near our pre-schools.  Our dream, yet unrealized, is that we engage in ongoing dialogue between our pre-schools and the teachers at the nearby schools.  We have had some interesting moves in this direction during the year .. including the early educator summit we did in West Humboldt Park.

Hope this trend in teacher collaboration continues to grow!

Striking Out

The teacher strike was years in the making.. and sadly looks like it could be weeks, until there is a truce.

This is a very challenging time for students and parents.  Students need to continue learning.  Parents need to go to work.  Community organizations are scrambling to provide help, but it is hard with shoe string budgets and limited facility space.  For example, YMCA is doing a great job opening up their sizable facilities to provide activities for students.  Chicago Commons is allowing recent pre-school graduates (now in kindergarten) to return to our pre-schools during the strike.  It is a testament to Chicago Commons’ staff, and other organizations, who are stepping up to help working parents.

As for the two warring parties – the Mayor’s team and the Teachers – who is to blame? 

Both. 

Mayor Emanuel and his team sowed the seeds for this fight.  It is a problem they created.  See Carol Marin’s insightful summary of this.  

On the other hand, the teachers risk losing public support if they don’t stay focused and work to get this resolved quickly.  Teachers have right to fight for a better evaluation system and for compensation for the extended school day.  However, they are dead wrong to criticize efforts to provide temporary care during the strike.  They should count themselves lucky that there are organizations filling the gap while they fight the battles that need to be fought.  And the union must be clear to the administration about what it will take to reach a truce.

Let’s all hope and encourage the cooler heads on the Mayor’s team and the CTU team will find a truce to this battle in the next few days.

Taking to the Streets

The whole city is on edge with this summer’s violence around Chicago.  It is good that we are at least confronting this anti-social behavior – and calling for actions to be taken.  Of course, the police are the front line for responding to violent incidents.  But it is up to all of us to look for ways to change the environments in or neighborhoods for the better.  Slowly but sure, our daily actions will help root out the behaviors that lead to violence.

In West Humboldt Park, we have been having daily problems with larger groups of people loitering in front of our Adult Education Training Center (ETC) on Chicago Avenue.   Why are they there?  Some are up to no good and others are just hanging out with friends.  Without saying a word to us, these groups of people on the sidewalk discourage others from attending Chicago Commons, increasing the worries about violence breaking out.  This creates a negative cycle where the more motivated neighbors stay inside and cede the streets to the idle.

After much dialogue with the Police Department, nearby businesses and organizations, Chicago Commons decided to launch a campaign to engage the groups loitering near us.

Rather than simply pushing our neighbors down to the next block, we want to introduce them to the services and programs that could help them identify the talents they could contribute to our community.  To that end, we will join with Neighborhood Housing Services, West Humboldt Park Development Council, Salvation Army and Fresh Moves to conduct weekly activities in front of the ETC. Activities will include:  outreach tables on the sidewalk, daily clean-up in front of our business, Friday sale of fresh vegetables by Fresh Moves, voter registration, Salvation Army mobile nutrition unit, mobile Library, and other activities through August and September.

We hope others will join us in this direct outreach.  Together, we can “Make it Happen.”

Next Generation Engineers

STEM education -- stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education.  There is going to be a huge demand for people trained in STEM disciplines in the coming years.  


Yesterday, Ron Kaminsky and Don Kleyweg from HBK Engineering  met with a school age classroom (7 to 12 year-olds) at the Guadlupano Center in Pilsen, showing our students how STEM subjects are applied in the real world.


Students learned about "Sub-surface Utility Engineering" - or SUE for short.  There were great questions about what is underground in Chicago and how it gets there.  Students got to touch and feel special materials like high voltage cable, fiber optic cable and samples of different pipes.  







The class has decided to continue to explore underground and the math needed to do this type of engineering.  As a next step, students decided to measure the length of their strides so that they can calculate distances from Guadalupano to their homes by counting their steps.  They learned that utilities engineers actually use this same method!


We are grateful for HBK's support of Chicago Commons, partnering with us to inspire the next generation of engineers! 

Tidal Waves

Things are different this year in Springfield.  There is a slow motion earthquake underway, unlike any time in 20 years or more.

And with earthquakes, come tsunamis .

The first wave hit us last week with news that the state ran out of child subsidy money two months early (before end of fiscal year).  No more payments for centers like Commons until July at earliest.   Many smaller centers are talking about closing.  Now there is news that State might have found funding to fix the next 2 months... but it must pass legislature.  So maybe first wave isn't as big as feared?

However,  a much bigger second wave is coming.  Proposals are to drastically reduce eligibility for child care , making many working poor families ineligible... if this happens, you will see many child cares swamped by it, shutting their doors.  We will know more by end of May.  Watch for thousands of parents to show up in Springfield on May 16th.

At Commons, we are preparing for the waves, we will survive, but the threat to the families that we serve is enormous.

More on child care crisis

More on the emerging child care funding crisis here.

The only positive is that the State of Illinois is truly starting to hit bottom.  Maybe leaders will finally start to take some bold actions??

This situation is a total disgrace.  The state is forcing many small child care centers to decide -- either mortgage everything and gamble that the state will eventually catch up on payments,  or close down now and stop serving their good customers -- hard working low-income families who are paying a portion of the child care, but cannot afford the full freight without a subsidy.  

Chicago Commons currently has enough cash on hand to last for a couple of months, but this is very worrisome to us also.

Over 100 parents from Chicago Commons will be going to Springfield on May 16th to say something about all of this.

Child Care is at the heart of our economy

Child Care is at the heart of our economy... especially right now among low-wage workers.  Low-wage households cannot continue to work full-time without child care subsidies.  The cost of full time child care easily eats up most of these families' paychecks.  Without subsidy, they are better off working odd jobs or irregular hours.

This is proven... see the National Bureau of Economic Research.  Families with child care are between 13 and 32% more likely to be employed.  This from one of the nation’s most influential economics organizations, the one that officially declares when recessions begin and end.

It is time for us to wake up and understand child care's critical role in our economy.  

In the meantime, funding for State of Illinois child care subsidy just ran out this month , so organizations like Chicago Commons might not get paid for May or June.  Unless the State takes action on this, we will soon be forced to decide whether to cut off families who come to us for full day care.  A suburban center was on the news tonight because they just broke the news to parents that they might cut off full day care immediately.