Author: Cora Butrum

Christopher House Hosts 2025 Erikson Executive Fellows

Written by Cora Butrum on . Posted in In The News, Infant & Pre-School, Insights & News. Leave a Comment

Christopher House was proud to once again partner with the Erikson Institute’s Executive Fellows Program this year, welcoming a distinguished group of Illinois leaders to our early childhood and administrative sites.

The Executive Fellows spent the day observing classrooms, engaging with educators and scholars, and meeting with our leadership team to learn about Christopher House’s holistic approach to early learning. They also gained perspective on the systemic challenges our families and staff face, and how innovative supports—from family advocates to school-based health services—are helping children thrive.

The Erikson Executive Fellows Program equips leaders across education, government, law, and healthcare with a deeper understanding of the long-term impact of high-quality early childhood experiences. This knowledge helps inform policy decisions and strengthens opportunities to improve services for children and families statewide.

This year’s Fellows included:

  • Senator Graciela Guzman, Illinois 20th District

  • Judge Kim Lewis, Juvenile Court Child Protection Division, Circuit Court of Cook County

  • Joshua Long, Chief Officer, Office for Students with Disabilities, Chicago Public Schools

  • Dr. Erica Austin, Deputy Director, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

  • Dr. Michael Karner, Regional Superintendent of Schools, Lake County

By hosting Fellows in our classrooms and offices, Christopher House ensures that the voices of our children, families, and educators are heard by those shaping policy and practice across Illinois. The day reinforced the critical role of early learning in advancing equity and building stronger communities.

We are grateful to Erikson Institute for cultivating leaders who champion early childhood education, and we are honored to continue this important partnership.

Celebrating the Heart of Education: Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week at Christopher House

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Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week offers us a special moment to pause and reflect on the immeasurable impact you have on our scholars, our families, and our entire community. While the dedication of our teachers and staff is evident every day, Teacher’s Appreciation Week gives us the chance to shine an even brighter light on their work and express our heartfelt gratitude.

From our early childhood to our elementary classrooms, the magic that happens within our walls is possible because of them—our incredible educators, paraprofessionals, family support staff, administrators, operations, food service teams, front office staff, and so many others who give their time, their energy, and their hearts to our mission.

Our staff are the mentors, the nurturers, the steady hands, and the behind-the-scenes heroes who keep our schools running and our scholars thriving. Whether they’re guiding instruction, preparing meals, maintaining welcoming spaces, or supporting systems and operations—they are making a difference every single day.

They bring our mission to life. Their passion fuels curiosity. Their compassion nurtures confidence. Their commitment to excellence sets the tone for our entire organization. Together, they form the heartbeat of Christopher House, and it is their collective effort that makes our community so strong and so special.

To the teachers and staff who make our growing community possible, thank you for all that you do, for who you are, and for the lasting impact you make at Christopher House and beyond!

 

Christopher House Summer Bridge Program Leads to Increased Kindergarten Readiness

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Through our unique continuum of education model, we support scholars through key moments of transition – from their first days in our infant and toddler rooms to 8th grade graduation – ensuring that they are prepared to take each and every step on their educational journeys.   

A pivotal milestone for young scholars is the culmination of their Preschool experience, marking the transition from Christopher House’ Infant & Preschool into Elementary School. This momentous time is an opportunity to celebrate our scholars’ growth over the past few years and to recognize the fundamental skills learned – cognitive, motor, literacy, math, social – that will serve as a foundation for their academic careers.   

To ensure our scholars have a positive and healthy transition from Preschool to Kindergarten, Christopher House offers a Summer Bridge Program for graduating Preschool scholars. Through this five- week summer program, Preschool scholars preparing to matriculate to Kindergarten have daily opportunities to receive additional individualized and focused instruction to strengthen specific skills while being introduced to teachers, classroom environments, and resources that students will be interacting with in the coming school year.   

This summer marked the 4th year that Christopher House implemented a summer bridge program to support the transition of all of our preschool children who recently transitioned to kindergarten. The summer bridge program is supported by certified teaching staff from both early childhood and elementary school. Collaborative lesson planning and reflection is conducted weekly with input from teaching staff that supports intentional areas of focus across developmental domains and is informed by spring Teaching Strategies GOLD checkpoint data, as well as a pre-assessment based on the Christopher House Kindergarten Readiness matrix. This year we were excited to have our two summer bridge teachers at Stewart representing both early childhood and the elementary team. A huge thanks to Julian Lomax, one of our Lead Preschool teachers and Kimberly Lopez, a primary teacher in CHES for developing and implementing the summer bridge instruction at Stewart.   

For the past three years, Kimberly Lopez, Christopher House English Language Learner (ELL) Teacher and Summer Bridge Teacher, has spent her summers helping our young scholars prepare for Kindergarten.

“Christopher House’s Summer Bridge Program provides small group instruction to meet students’ individual needs to best prepare them for Kindergarten.” 

By easing the transition with early and intentional exposure, scholars experience reduced stress and can more easily interact with their new learning environments in positive ways, leading to higher educational outcomes.  After completing last year’s Summer Bridge program, the 57 scholars met or exceeded widely held expectations for Kindergarten, resulting in continued summer growth in Social Emotional, Literacy, and most notably in the math domain which increased by almost 13%.   

“Throughout the summer, scholars became more fluent in their numbers, letter identification and print awareness. They also improved rhyming skills and by the end of the program, could recognize rhyming words based on sound, images, and letter recognition,” Kimberly Lopez shared. “If you were to see all of my students now in Kindergarten, they look like pros walking down the hallway and listening to their teachers! I am so proud of each and every one of them, and I’m excited for their next educational adventure.”   

Julian Lomax, a Lead Preschool Teacher at our Stewart Campus, collaborated with Kimberly during this summer’s Bridge Program. Julian has been a preschool teacher for seven years and was excited to engage across our family of schools to deepen his impact.  

“Summer bridge was a great opportunity because it expanded on what the preschool teachers have been supporting children in learning over the past two years. In early childhood we believe in a whole child approach, meeting each child where they are at and creating intentional opportunities that build on children’s interests to support them to achieve. This approach is supported through the intentional collection and use of data to see what each child needs –through ongoing collaboration with preschool teachers, families and family advocates we were able to tailor lesson plans and individualize to meet each child’s needs in specific developmental domains. We utilized different modalities and hands on materials such as play-dough and wicky sticks to explore measurement which allowed children to more deeply engage with the concepts. We also implemented Heggerty phonemic awareness and tracked children’s weekly progress during bridge to support our data collection for summer checkpoint. It allowed all teachers to see the children’s growth and identify additional areas where support was needed.”  

A Message from Christopher House’s New CEO, Julie Dakers

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Dear Christopher House Friends, Families, and Supporters,

It is with immense gratitude and excitement that I would like to introduce myself as the new Chief Executive Officer of Christopher House.

It has been nearly 20 years since I joined this incredibly special organization, and over that time, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing Christopher House’s remarkable growth and transformation. From the expansion of our Early Head Start Program to the opening of our Logan Square campus, and groundbreaking of Belmont Cragin’s Stewart Campus – ultimately completing our birth through 8th grade model – Christopher House has continually demonstrated its unwavering commitment to excellence, and the transformative ripple effect we have on the lives of our scholars and their families.

I’ve also witnessed the resilience and grace with which Christopher House adapts to adversity, including through the pandemic that disrupted every facet of education. Our capacity to navigate these challenges while remaining steadfast in our mission to close the opportunity gap through educational excellence showcases the strength of this organization and the unwavering dedication of our staff, families, and supporters.

In fact, while I’ve witnessed Christopher House evolve over the last two decades, one thing has remained constant: the unwavering commitment and support of this community. Together, we have built something truly special, and I am excited to guide the next chapter of our journey.

I am eager to collaborate with our Board of Directors, leadership team, dedicated staff, and our families to cultivate learning environments that truly embody CH’s core values of excellence, respect, and equity. We have a remarkable foundation to build upon, and our mission is clear: to provide every scholar with access to high-quality education from birth through 8th grade. Equally important is our commitment to actively engage parents and caregivers in this journey, empowering them to support their children in reaching new heights.

I am excited to navigate this new chapter and look forward to connecting with each of you in the months to come.

Warmly,
Julie

Julie Dakers
Chief Executive Officer, Christopher House

Creating Brave Spaces at Christopher House: A Conversation with our School Counselor

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Christopher House works to create warm, welcoming, and safe learning environments that encourage our scholars, teachers, families, and staff to show up each and every day as their authentic selves. Each member of our community is vital in creating and maintaining these brave spaces, and Jose Valencia, Elementary School Counselor, is no exception.

Joining the Christopher House community at the start of the 20230-2024 school year, Jose dove in with two feet, assisting scholars in academic improvement plans, consulting 8th graders on which high schools might best fit their life interests, and offering counsel on obstacles faced by Elementary School-aged students today. Through his ongoing work, his passion for helping children and his dedication to our local community has shown through every step of the way.

In honor of PRIDE month, we sat down with Jose to discuss the importance of identity, love, and acceptance for Elementary School scholars, and how he works to support this in his unique role. He had these words to share:

Q. In your own words, can you explain the significance of PRIDE month?

“PRIDE month is important for us to know and celebrate because of the important gains and hardships that people in the LGBTQIA+ community have been through historically and are still experiencing. PRIDE month also gives individuals a time and place to come together and connect through a shared identity and move forward together.”

Q. Why is PRIDE month, and by extension, the celebration of diverse forms of love and identity, important for Elementary and Middle School scholars?

“PRIDE month is important for scholars because the elementary and middle school years are so formative in their creation of their identities. Schools have a responsibility to provide awareness, knowledge, and resources to community members so youth and their families know that their thoughts and feelings are universal. At Christopher House, our goal is for everyone to feel welcome, accepted, and celebrated as important members of the Christopher House community.”

Q. What impact can educators, social workers, and leaders have on students and the community when it comes to PRIDE?

“We can impact the community in meaningful ways. During the middle school years, youth are going through significant physical, cognitive, and social changes so it makes sense that they and their families would have all sorts of questions about their identities. It is important for adults to provide students with healthy environments where they feel safe and included. If someone does not feel welcome, they most likely won’t feel safe or valued either. They won’t be able to maximize their learning and they might adopt maladaptive social/emotional coping strategies. One way to ensure scholars feel seen and welcome is by posting visuals such as a PRIDE flag or pictures and facts about historical figures in the LGBTQIA+ Movement.”

Q. In your role, how do you work to spread love and acceptance within the Christopher House community?

“As a school counselor, I aim to be a positive force at Christopher House by being available to students, families and colleagues. I do my best to spread wellbeing by providing educational resources on potential options for the future, recognizing student/staff accomplishments, and helping others who might not be feeling like their best, authentic selves. My hope for educational institutions is that they continue to be pillars of the community and places that innovate learning. We need to continue to keep pace with shifting societal trends and student/family needs, while staying true to our mission of educating the whole child/family.”

Quilting with our Dads: The Importance of Parent Engagement in Early Childhood

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Christopher House’s family of schools – Infant and Preschool, Elementary and Middle School, After School, and Parent school – implements a two-generation approach that highlights the importance of parent engagement for a scholar’s healthy development, both in and outside of the classroom. Teachers and Family Advocates work together to collaborate on different and creative ways to invite parents into the classroom, and Ms. Glenna’s toddler classroom is no exception! 

Across Christopher House’s Uptown campus, fathers are joining their young scholars in the infant and toddler classrooms to help decorate fabric pieces that will be sewn together to form a large and vibrant quilt. Each individual piece has been created by a scholar and their father and their collaborative designs are representative of the unique and loving relationship that they share.  

According to Ms. Glenna, a Mentor Teacher in Early Childhood, the goal of the art project was multifaceted; 1) to expose young scholars to the art medium of fabric, and 2) to invite fathers into their child’s classroom setting to creatively engage with their education in a fun and exciting way.  

“Our hope was to create an activity that allows parents and children to enjoy an experience together in a school setting. It was truly a joy to see everyone, both fathers and the students, excited to create something together,” Glenna shared. “One of my students’ fathers could not join us for the activity because he is currently in Ethiopia. The family did not want their child to miss out on the experience, so my student’s mother came, propped up her phone, and facetimed him so he could be present for the project. It was really a special moment. Another father, while reflecting on his experience, even said to me, ‘It was one of my proudest moments as a parent.’” 

Throughout the year, Glenna and the Family Support Services team support parent engagement in many ways, from bi-annual home visits during which teachers work with parents and caregivers to engage in at-home activities that support their child’s development, to inviting parents and caregivers into the classroom to facilitate lessons centered on identify, diversity, and culture.  

“During the year, we explore identity, what it means, and why it should be celebrated. We encourage parents to come into the classroom to share about their family’s identity and culture through activities like sharing key words in their home languages and home experiences that relate to early childhood explorations. For example, if we are studying cars, the family might be asked to share a photo of their car or how they come to school.  We are also inviting families to come to our classrooms during our outdoor play time and share stories or songs in their home language, or teach the children a simple game that they remember from their childhood.  Parents are also encouraged to borrow books from school to read at home as another way of making home/school connections,” Glenna shared.  

The earliest years of a child’s education, from birth to five years old, are the most formative and set the foundation for future learning and development. Parent engagement is essential during this time as it encourages children to find joy in learning, extends learning – academic and social emotional – beyond the classroom, and helps prepare young scholars to become lifelong learners.  

“Parent engagement is critical at all ages, but especially Early Childhood.  Providing activities for parents to do with their children can give insight to parents about developmentally appropriate experiences that they can do with their children,” Glenna shared. “For children, there is true joy in learning, exploring, and having classroom experiences with the most important people in their lives – their parents.”

Christopher House – Uptown: Celebrating Identity & Diversity

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“If history is not shared, it is forgotten. This is why we must educate our scholars about Black history – Black history is American history. It is for everyone.”

– Adejumoke Akinbusuyi, Uptown Site Director

Since opening its doors in 1994, Christopher House’s Uptown campus has served thousands of scholars and families. This year, we celebrate Uptown campus’s 30th year of serving this diverse community and the 125+ families served today, representing many countries and cultures from around the world, including Argentina, Belize, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mexico, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Togo, and the United States.

In celebration of Black History Month over the past month, Uptown’s staff and teachers partnered with parents, inviting them into our classrooms to teach scholars about native languages, foods, and outdoor games. Each week, scholars “traveled” to different corners of the globe. On their first stop, scholars visited Ghana to learn about weaving and how to wear a Kente Cloth, followed by Nigeria where they sang songs of gratitude and tried their hands at making Jollof Rice. Shortly after, scholars ventured to East Africa where they tried Ethiopian Injera Bread and practiced home languages like Oromo and Amharic. To finish their global journey, scholars returned to the United States to read books like “Lily Brown’s Painting” or “Do Like Kyla” by author Angela Johnson, play popular playground games like hopscotch, and learn about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Celebrating Black History Month says, ‘We care about our Black scholars and the Black Americans who have helped shape our country. It says both you and those who came before you are worth celebrating.’ It creates a sense of belonging for our Black scholars and helps our other scholars learn to create an environment that celebrates history and culture, even if it’s not your own,” Adejumoke “Jummy” Akinbusuyi, Uptown Site Director, shared.

Across our family of schools, Black History Month is a time of remembrance, education, and celebration and year-round, Christopher House prioritizes and integrates the celebration of our community’s identities and cultures.

“No matter what we are doing, we are constantly learning more about each other through open and insightful conversations about who we are, where we come from, and what makes us, us.”

At the heart of these interactive and joyous activities is the teaching that our unique identities should be proudly expressed and celebrated at all stages of life. We create culturally rich, diverse, and inclusive environments that encourage our students to grow in appreciation and love for not only themselves, but for those around them by celebrating our community members’ authentic selves.

“Identity is something that often changes and develops as we grow. Some parts of us remain the same throughout our lives and others evolve and change. Beginning to develop a strong sense of self from a young age curates positive self-esteem. In a world constantly telling us who to be, learning from a young age that your identity is made up of different parts, helps children – who eventually grow into adults – learn to love the total sum of themselves,” Jummy said. “This is why diversity and representation are so important in early childhood. Representation teaches children that our differences should be celebrated, and early exposure to diverse cultures helps children learn to communicate and problem-solve with different types of people. It teaches children that ‘You and I may look, act and think differently, but it doesn’t mean we can’t accomplish a lot together.’”

To see the diversity celebrated throughout Black History Month at Christopher House, check out the links below:

 

A Peak Inside our Classrooms: STEAM in Early Childhood

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Christopher House serves scholars from birth through 8th grade, and at every level – Infant and Pre-School, Elementary and Middle School, and After School – we integrate an age-appropriate STEAM-based (Science, technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) education to foster creativity, support problem solving skills, and prepare scholars for their academic and professional futures.

“STEAM learning is critical at all ages and levels because it teaches scholars important and valuable life skills through critical thinking, problem solving, negotiating, and analytical concepts. These are real world soft skills that are needed in the 21st Century both academically and professionally.”
– Karen Ross-Williams, Director of Early Childhood and Youth Development

Classrooms explore STEAM in many different ways – guided lessons, interactive experiments, colorful projects. One example is Ms. Margo and her Room 13 Pre-School scholars, ages three to five. From studying silkworms and their habitats, to playing with light and colorful reflections, Ms. Margo’s scholars are STEAM explorers!

“Young children are naturally curious. They are experiencing new things and ideas in the world every day. Their thinking is magical. They are not sure why things happen, and they are not sure what effect they have on the world. We talk about using our “scientist senses” – what do we directly see, hear, smell, touch, and taste that teaches us what is happening in the world? And when we interact or experiment with objects or living things, what impacts do we have?”

In Ms. Margo’s classroom, like all our Early Childhood classrooms, she incorporates a Reggio-Emilia approach, a pedagogy that is student-centered and founded on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration, discovery, and play. Through this approach, we recognize one’s environment as the “third teacher” that encourages creativity, problem solving, relationship building, and positive play.

“Our classroom is divided into centers to help organize and challenge scholars’ thinking and learning: block play, dramatic play, table toys and puzzles, art area, library, etc. We call our science center “The Laboratory.” In the Laboratory, we rotate different specimens of natural samples like a bird’s nest or even a jar or cicada skins. We try to incorporate as many elements from our natural environment as possible. We also rotate different tools and toys to foster learning about physics – items like magnets, gears, flashlights, and mirrors. We study chemistry by experimenting with matter, often through cooking projects or using sand, water, snow, and ice in our sensory table. We want to keep things engaging so the class is excited about learning and exploring new things.”

The warm and supportive environment that Ms. Margo facilitates in her classroom helps her scholars feel comfortable and find joy in experimenting and exploring new subjects. It is her hope that by creating a welcoming and creative learning environment and prioritizing a STEAM-focused education for her scholars, she can help prepare them to take the next steps in their educational journeys and excite them about the possibility of exploring STEAM careers in the future.

“In the short term, I hope our Pre-School scholars develop a habit of exploring bravely – touch that moth, pound that lever, plop that rock into water, see what happens. Try changing what you’re doing, predict what will happen, then see if it does! In the long term, I hope our scholars’ preschool experiences build a strong, visceral foundation of scientific concepts that they can think back on when they are expected to build abstract models of scientific ideas in high school or college. I hope these experiences will spur some of them to work in STEM fields someday and use science to improve the world.”

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Christopher House
5235 W. Belden Ave.
Chicago, IL 60639