Join Ladders of Opportunity
ready to build a future supporting students?
You can qualify for roles such as: Special Education Classroom Assistant (SECA); Teacher/Classroom Assistant; Language Aide; Instructional Aide; Substitute Teacher; SECA Substitute, and/or Paraprofessional Substitute.
Achieve your goals
Dreams on hold. Opportunity to make an impact. Hundreds of Parent Mentors have taken the next step into meaningful careers in schools—supporting students while building their own futures. From conversations with Ladders participants, again and again we hear the same message—here are three things many say you can expect when you join:
You can do it. Many participants start off nervous about whether they’ll be able to achieve their goals. Have no fear! You can do this.
You’ve already achieved a lot. Volunteering in classrooms for 100+ hours- one of the Ladders requirements —builds your foundation through real experience supporting diverse students and prepares you for the next step.
Ladders of Opportunity runs on trust. We often hear that principals or schools hired Parent Mentors specifically because of the relationships they had already built. Ladders not only helps you obtain a credential, it helps you strengthen the connections that can lead to work.
Do it for yourself, for your family, and your community. We hear from Ladders participants that taking this step has had an impact beyond their own career—advancing student success, strengthening families, and contributing to more equitable, community-rooted schools and stronger, more connected communities.
Are you ready?
Through your experience in the Parent Mentor Program, you’ve already built the skills, relationships, and leadership needed to support students. Joining Ladders of Opportunity is your next step. Do you have the readiness to become a paraprofessional—ask yourself the following questions:
Do you have a genuine desire to start a career to continue working in a classroom setting with students?
Do you have the willingness to work with diverse student populations, including those with disabilities, learning differences, and/or behaviors that challenge?
Do you commit to meeting consistently with a coach that will help you meet your goals by checking in often?
If needed, do you commit to meeting a requirement to become fully licensed?
The Ladders team is here to help you! This has been a rapidly growing program with nearly 1,000 people who have advanced from Parent Mentor to employment across Illinois in the past three years.
what’s next?
If you responded YES to all the questions above, here are your next steps: contact your coordinator to discuss your goal and fill out a screener together. If you responded NO to any of the questions above, talk to your Coordinator or Organizer to discuss next steps.
Connect with your Coordinator to:
Talk through your goals and complete the Ladders Universal screener together
Your coordinator will send your screener to peiladder@gmail.com
CC: the parent you are filling out the screener with
Subject line: Ladders Screener for [Name of person being referred]
Email Body: Include your name, organization & attach the Screener
For digital copies : Please make sure you provide Access to View
Your coordinator should follow up with you in a few days to ensure someone has contacted you. If not, email us at peiladders@gmail.com
If you answered NO to any of the above:
Don’t worry—there’s still a path forward.
Speak with your Coordinator or Organizer to identify your next steps and support.
Still wondering if Ladders is for you? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions further down the page.
“I can have a certificate under my belt where I can work 1-on-1 with children and help them develop in reading skills.... this may be my calling. ”
Two Tracks of Support:
Ladders of Opportunity Universal and Ladders Pilot Partner Organizations
Ladders Of Opportunity services are offered to all PEI Parent Mentor program partners:
Ten organizations serve as pilot sites, implementing the Ladders pathway locally, while remaining part of the broader PEI network. For the rest of the network, Ladders Universal support team provides services. Both our Pilot and Universal Ladders team offer the same services including coaching for paraprofessional/substitute credentialing, teacher licensure and foreign transcript evaluations to non-pilot organizations.
The main difference is who you will contact to begin your Ladders journey. If you are part of one of the organizations below, reach out to your Local Ladders Organizer to get started.
Ladders of Opportunity Pilot Organizations
Pilot sites
Brighton Park Neighborhood Council Ladders Coach-Organizer: Karla Roman
Garden of Prayer Youth Center Ladders Coach-Organizer: Yaneli Serna
NorthWest Center Ladders Coach-Organizer: Alejandro Pocoroba
Palenque LSNA Ladders Coach-Organizer: Araceli Carrillo
Partnership for Resilience Ladders Coach-Organizer: Tonya Thomas
Teamwork Englewood Ladders Coach-Organizer: Jtara Leslie
The ACE Project Ladders Coach-Organizer: Loree Washington
South Suburban Immigrant Project Ladders Coach-Organizer: Guillermina Sanchez
SouthWest Organizing Project Ladders Coach-Organizer: Angelica Ferreira
Western Illinois University Ladders Coach-Organizer: Shelesse Garza-McCulley
If you are not part of a pilot site, first talk to your coordinator about your goal. Together you will check your eligibility and complete the screener together. One of the Ladders Universal Coaches will then contact you.
Still Not sure who to contact? Contact the Ladders Central Team
Alejandra García Cortés and Flor Dimas, the Ladders Co-Managers, are here to support the program overall. While they do not provide 1:1 coaching, you can reach out to them for:
General questions about Ladders
Information Session Requests
Questions about partnerships or collaboration
Concerns about your experience or if you have not received follow-up
Reach them via peiladders@gmail.com.
Frequently asked questions
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Our goal is to build educational and career pathways for Parent Mentors to create economic empowerment and liberation so that they and their families, local schools, and communities are connected, healthy, safe, and influential.
In particular, Ladders is developing a first-of-its-kind paraprofessional pathway with an emphasis on disability and language justice in our schools. In line with our values, the Ladders of Opportunity team has a collective passion for equity and social justice and a strong education for liberation mindset and a deep interest in using data for learning and innovation in program development.
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Ladders is an initiative of the Parent Engagement Institute (PEI), fully integrated with the Parent Mentor Program and designed as a natural continuation of the parent mentor journey.
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Ladders of Opportunity supports Parent Mentors in taking the next step into education and career pathways— building on the leadership, lived experience, and relationships they already have—creating opportunities for economic mobility for themselves, their families, schools, and their communities.
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Paraprofessionals are school employees and vital members of a school’s support staff. They are educators (licensed with stipulations) who support students’ learning under the supervision of a licensed/certified teacher. Paraprofessionals commonly provide instructional support which can include one-on-one or group support, assist with classroom management, and provide instructional and physical assistance to students in a special education classroom.
Paraprofessional is an umbrella term that includes positions such as teacher assistants, special education classroom assistants (SECAs), behavioral aides, instructional aides, language aides, and paraeducators.
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You can learn more information on the ISBE website at this link.
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To receive support from PEI-Ladders of Opportunity, you must be a current or past participant of the Parent Mentor Program.
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Parent Mentors who studied in another country can have their credentials and credits validated in the United States. A foreign transcript evaluation is needed for parents seeking employment within certain careers and/or looking to enroll at a college or university. You can also use it to apply for different types of ISBE licenses.
Through Ladders, we support current and former Parent Mentors, as well as Coordinators and Organizers, in obtaining a free foreign transcript evaluation through an ISBE-approved evaluator.
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No, PEI-Ladders Universal does not offer Language Classes.
If you are a Ladders Pilot Site, speak to your Ladders Organizer about Language classes offered locally.
If you are not part of a pilot, and are interested in taking English or Spanish classes, we recommend you talk to your coordinator and together find this resource in your community.
Parents interested in the free Spanish classes that were offered through CPS-Parent University should talk to their coordinator for further information.
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No. Individuals pursuing a paraprofessional role do not receive and currently cannot apply for endorsements.
Paraprofessionals can either apply for a license that is renewable every 5 years if they meet all state requirements, or for those who currently only hold HS Diploma/GED.
a Short Term Approval which is valid for 3 years but is non- renewable
Instead, they can apply for:
A Paraprofessional License, which is renewable every 5 years if state requirements are met
A Short-Term Approval—for those with a high school diploma or GED—which is valid for 3 years and is not renewable.
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Yes, Ladders Universal and Ladders Pilots provide support to PMP participants - current and alumni- who have completed 100 hours of hands-on in-class volunteer work. This includes PMs, Coordinators, and Organizers who meet the same requirements.
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No. Parents do not need to participate in Ladders to be Parent Mentors
And, not all parent mentors have to be part of Ladders.
Ladders is intended as an optional opportunity for those who are personally interested in taking the next step into education or advancing their careers.
There is no expectation or pressure to join—participants decide for themselves if and when they are ready.
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No. The state requires applicants to submit a copy of their GED certificate.
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No. Ladders does not directly provide GED classes. That is a direct service many organizations offer in house.
If you are part of a pilot site, contact your Ladders organizer to learn about any GED opportunities.
If you are not a pilot, and if this is your goal, talk to your coordinator to create a plan and explore resources in your community, including community colleges, libraries, or other PEI partner organizations you can connect with directly.
Unfortunately, we do not have capacity to provide GED support across the state— but Pilot Organizations might offer this support in house. Check with your Ladders Organizer if you are a pilot.
If you are interested in joining Ladders and need your GED to get started, your Coordinator can help you identify next steps as part of your goal.
Download our latest Recruitment Flyer (English / Spanish)