Magic Factory: Community Partners Prepare To Support Parent Mentors at Train The Trainer sessions

From mid-August to early September, more than 330 organizers and coordinators from 46 community organizations whose mission is to select and support Parent Mentors got some support of their own from Parent Engagement Institute.

Parent Engagement Institute staff as well as experienced Parent Mentor Organizers and Parent Mentor Coordinators from eight partner organizations across the state helped lead our annual Train The Trainer sessions. These sessions provide an introduction for some and refresher for others on our history and how the Parent Mentor Program operates to provide Parent Mentors a new understanding of themselves as leaders in their communities.

“This magic, it didn’t come from abracadabra, it came from 31 years of hard work of Parent Mentors working together,” Lead Program Support Manager Ana Laura Narro told staff fromBrighton Park Neighborhood Council,Project: VISION,Teamwork Englewood,Westside Justice Center and others. “Yes, we make magic, but it doesn’t come from nowhere. The magic comes from working together, pushing together, and talking to people.” 

Topics at Train The Trainer range from meeting facilitation how-tos like icebreakers and closing circle activities, to organizing skills like conducting relational one-to-one meetings, to professional and individual development tools such as goal-setting. 

This was the first Train The Trainer since the COVID-19 pandemic to include an in-person component. It was held in three “waves” in Chicago, Aurora, Champaign, Lake County as well as virtually. 

Participants included 21 community partner organizations outside Chicago in Wave 1, 26 partners inside city limits in Wave 2, as well as a third all-virtual wave for organizations that could not make it to the in-person gatherings this year, including Parent Mentor groups in Boston and Winnipeg, Canada. 

Post-Train The Trainer survey data showed the in-person experience was effective: based on responses to the survey, 99% of the participants felt the sessions prepared them to provide the Parent Mentor Program Initial Training to their cohorts and helped them feel more connected to the overall purpose of the program.

Recruiting Parent Mentors 

When partner organization staff gather, especially over the summer, the talk soon turns to one of the most essential elements of the Parent Mentor Program: recruitment. TheIndo-American Center’s Parent Mentor Coordinator Melanie Ramos and Parent Mentor Organizer Sonam Mohindra shared a bit about their work over the summer to build a list of 30 prospective Parent Mentors interested in positions this fall. 

Melanie emphasized that building relationships and trust with parents is key to recruitment; she tries to relate to parents as a parent herself and learn what they are passionate about. Sonam finds sharing personal success stories helps parents understand the program's impact and see how it can create change in their community. Sonam also emphasizes that parents can learn more about their children's schools by participating in the school community as Parent Mentors. 

Ready for the 2026-2027 School year

Like many community partners’ Facilitators and Organizers, Adriana Rios of Palenque LSNA started as a Parent Mentor herself, so she can relate to what the parents she’s supporting experience. 

Adriana is looking forward to using that experience as she prepares to train a cohort of 12 to 15 Parent Mentors. “It’s a big step to [go from being a parent to volunteering in the classroom,” Melanie says. “It can be a bit challenging.”