A NOTE FROM YOUR PEI TEAM
Dear Parent Mentor Family,
“We take care of each other while we work to change the world” is the vision that drives our daily work.
Parent Mentors this year will roll up their sleeves and support the classrooms of 35,000 students in 245 schools across Illinois. We will be working in 39 school districts, including Chicago Public Schools, where we are in 1 out of 3 neighborhood elementary schools in the city. All of this is done through our PEI network of 42 community organizations.
We are supporting students right here, right now, while also learning how to organize beyond the classroom with community organizations for the resources, policies, and public systems our communities deserve.
Currently, many of our schools are figuring out how to welcome new arrivals while supporting all of our existing students in an inadequately-funded school system. In recent focus groups, one theme that came up time and time again is how critical Parent Mentors are for our schools to adapt and function.
Here is one quote from a focus group:
“We had many new immigrant students who came, and we had to ask for money and emergency teachers to create new bilingual classes. But there’s a fourth-grade class here that still has like 33 or 35 students there in the room and the teacher doesn’t speak Spanish, so we gave her a Parent Mentor who speaks English and Spanish, and she’s from God to that teacher.”
That’s it—we take care of each other while we work to change the world. Parent Mentors are meeting immediate needs in the classroom, while advocating for the resources our schools need.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the Parent Mentors, Coordinators, Organizers, teachers, and administrators who believe in public education and are in this work together to take care of each other while we work to change the world.
-The Parent Engagement Institute Team
VIDEO PREMIERE
New Commercial Highlights What It Means to Be a Parent Mentor
PEI has just released a short promotional video about what it means to be a Parent Mentor. From how a parent can support students and teachers in the classroom, to the professional opportunities that the Parent Mentor Program provides, the video showcases the core elements that make up the program. View it now on our YouTube channel. Thanks to all of the Parent Mentors, Coordinators, Organizers, and students who starred in the video and made it a reality!
Above: Behind-the-scenes photos on set of the Parent Mentor Program commercial production.
TRAIN-THE-TRAINER FY24 KICK-OFF
Parent Mentor Program Coordinators, Organizers Kick Off New School Year with Annual Training Series Celebration
We would like to thank everyone who joined us for our kick-off celebration for the Parent Mentor Program and 2023-2024 school year! The event was a huge success and we were thrilled to see so many dedicated Parent Mentor Coordinators and Organizers in attendance. We celebrated the completion of our Train-the-Trainer 101 workshop series and recognized the hard work and commitment of our Coordinators and Organizers. The event was a great opportunity for our communities across Illinois to connect with each other and get ready to imbue their knowledge and radical love into their schools and beyond. Click here to view the full photo gallery and relive the celebration!
Read more about the celebration on Chalkbeat Chicago:
“On Friday […] hundreds of other parent program coordinators — mostly Black and Latino women from Chicago and the suburbs — sat in a packed auditorium at Harry S. Truman Community College on the city’s North Side to celebrate the start of a new school year.
‘When we talk about growing our own from within, this is the program to do that. We have such a shortage of teachers, it’s clear to see that these parents love education,’ said Aaron. ‘These are future teachers sitting in this room.’”
INITIAL TRAINING RECAP
Parent Mentors Get Ready to Bolster Classrooms Across Illinois
Congratulations to all the Parent Mentor cohorts across the state who completed their Initial Training for the 2023-2024 school year! Parent Mentors gathered together to build community and get ready to support teachers and students in the classroom. Another congratulations to all of our Parent Mentor Coordinators who have been hard at work for months to launch their Initial Training sessions!
Above: Photos of Parent Mentors across Illinois completing their initial training.
PHOTO ROUNDUP: PARENT MENTORS IN ACTION!
Parent Mentors out in their communities engaging new parents and spreading the word about the Parent Mentor Program.
Illinois State Representative Theresa Mah visits back-to-school event and shares her excitement about the Parent Mentor Program on her social channels, writing, “Had a chance to stop by at Healy's Back-to-school bash and it was so much fun! […] I was happy to see folks from Project: VISION's Parent Mentor Program - Illinois talking to parents about joining their free program--which includes leadership training and a stipend!”
South Side Help Center’s Parent Mentor Program team prepare swag bags for parents for the first day of school.
Parent Mentors help paint a beautiful new mural in Moline, Illinois.
Palenque LSNA education team hosts “Teacher Presentations” to build relationships, share our values and dreams, and nurture strong connections in our community schools.
IN THE NEWS
Waukegan Parent Mentors, Hispanic American Community Education and Services Featured in Chicago Tribune
Above: A parent mentor works with students at North Elementary School in Waukegan last school year. - Original Credit: News-Sun (Waukegan District 60/HANDOUT)
Article excerpt: “A three-way collaboration between HACES, United Way of Lake County and the Waukegan public schools gives students more attention in the classroom, and parents an opportunity to both understand what happens in school and a potential career path. […]
‘The mentors work with students in a classroom, and learn how the education system works,’ Alicia Garcia, HACES’ (Hispanic American Community Education and Services) director of programs, said. ‘It teaches how to advocate for your own child.’ […]
North Principal Nicole Lemberger said there were six mentors a year ago, she hopes to have eight to 10 this year and she would like to have one for each classroom. […]
‘They give students a strong growth consistency,’ she said. ‘They can work in monolingual, bilingual and diverse learner classrooms. They learn skills to help them parent their own children at home.’
Lemberger said the mentors help expand learning because they can work with one group of students, while the teacher helps another and the paraprofessional assists still a third. Without them, the small groups cannot function simultaneously.”
PEI BIRTHDAY SHOUT-OUTS
Adriana Velasquez
Organizer, Parent Engagement Institute, SWOP
Adriana Velazquez was born in Tziritzícuaro, Michoacán, and grew up in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood. Adriana's parents were strong risk-takers who broke barriers and sought better paths for their family, and she credits them for shaping who she is today.
Adriana enjoys working with the Parent Mentor Program because it allows her to improve things for those inside her community and beyond. Her favorite aspect of the work is watching parents evolve and grow into their superpowers as they participate in the program. She also enjoys being a part of a group of powerful women who respect, listen, and welcome her.
Outside her work for the Parent Mentor Program, Adriana is dedicated to her singing and music career.
Bridgett White
Organizer, PEI Education Equity Policy Specialist Parent Engagement Institute, Palenque LSNA
Bridgett was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago in the Beverly neighborhood. Bridgett's passion for disability justice began at an early age as she helped support her two younger brothers, Michael and Maurice, who are handicapped. Having experienced many hardships throughout her childhood, Bridgett shares her personal story as a method for healing within herself and those around her. She believes that no matter your circumstances, you can still make a difference and change lives.
Bridgett graduated from Chicago State University with a Bachelor's in Accounting and then worked in the corporate world for about 15 years. After leaving the corporate world, her three wonderful children inspired her to get actively involved in their education. This pivot would eventually lead her to seek out organizing for education justice.
Bridgett joined PEI as a Program Support Manager in 2021 and coaches eight Parent Mentor Partner Organizations across the South and West sides of Chicago. In addition, she co-leads the PEI Disability Justice cohorts and posts all the awesome photos you see on Parent Mentor social media. Bridgett wants to see ALL schools and communities thrive with the same access and opportunities for education.
Flor Dimas
Ladders of Opportunity Project Manager, Parent Engagement Institute, Palenque LSNA
Born and raised in Dallas, TX, Flor is the proud daughter of immigrant parents and proud Californian field workers. From age 14 to 22, Flor lived in her mother's homeland Yucatan, Mexico, where she became fully immersed in her culture and ancestry. Flor holds a Bachelor's degree in English with a minor in secondary education from Escuela Normal Superior de Yucatan.
After graduating and moving back to Dallas, TX, she met her husband, started her family, and became an Elementary Bilingual Literacy Educator in Texas and Illinois for more than 14 years.
While working as a teacher, Flor witnessed the injustices, struggles, and hardships of bilingual parents and students and those who needed speech therapy services. Realizing that change could only come from within the institution, she accepted a position as a bilingual instructional coach and trainer for teachers to educate bilingual teachers on their rights and encourage them to form an alliance with parents. To continue growing her career, Flor moved to Chicago, IL to earn a Master's degree in Latin American Literature and Cultures Masters at Northeastern Illinois University.
Never losing her desire to advocate for bilingualism, literacy, and education in general, she got involved in the Parent Mentor Program. The program offered an opportunity to create solutions for the barriers our education system faces. Flor works with the Parent Engagement Institute and Parent Mentor Program as a curriculum advisor and a trainer and career coach for parents across Illinois who are passionate about joining the educational field. In Flor’s own words, “I was missing the justice warrior in me until I found the Parent Mentor Program.”
Tara Henderson
Data Liaison, Parent Engagement Institute
Organizer, SWOP
Tara Henderson was born on the south side of Chicago, IL, and is the eldest of five siblings. Tara's interest in the field of psychology started at William Rainey Harper High School, where her advice and counseling was often sought out by students.
She received a scholarship to Harold Washington College and the University of Chicago as part of a partnership program to major in Clinical Psychology and minor in Spanish.
Tara joined the Parent Mentor Program in 2013 after her daughter's persistent encouragement. After completing the training, Tara fell in love with the Program and soon became a Parent Coordinator. She currently works as PEI's Data Projects Manager as well as a Community Organizer with SWOP.
Tara and her late husband have a beautiful daughter, Amina. Although Tara and her family have experienced tragedies, she remains resilient and positive. She enjoys cooking, crocheting, and reading--especially anything with werewolves and vampires!