Tag: Christopher House

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

Written by Cora Butrum on . Posted in Family of Schools, Insights & News. Leave a Comment

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

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

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

Written by Cora Butrum on . Posted in Administrative, Insights & News. Leave a Comment

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

Written by Cora Butrum on . Posted in DBEI, Insights & News. Leave a Comment

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.”

Chicago Benchmarking Collaborative hosts session at Salesforce Nonprofit Dreamin’ Conference

Written by Cora Butrum on . Posted in CBC, Insights & News. Leave a Comment

Exciting things have been happening in the world of high-quality nonprofit data collection, and the Chicago Benchmarking Collaborative partners – Christopher House, Marillac St. Vincent Family Services, Chicago Youth Centers, Erie Neighborhood House, and Gads Hill Center – are proud to stand at the forefront.

On November 2nd, Traci Stanley, the Collaborative’s project manager (Christopher House) Anjel Williams (Chicago Youth Centers), Piotr Wojnicz (Chicago Youth Centers) and Stacie Pollata (Exponent Partners), shared their data-driven journeys and the benefits of thoughtful collaboration at the Nonprofit Dreamin’ Conference, a space created for nonprofit professionals to collaborate, build relationships, and share and learn best practices.

In their talk titled Better Together: The Power of Collaboration and Data with Chicago Benchmarking Collaborative, they highlighted how CBC partners leverage Salesforce for benchmarking, data management, and achieving year-over-year comparative outcomes that accurately and comprehensively form a living and ongoing data story. It is through this work that the CBC is able to effectively address and respond to social challenges in today’s evolving Chicago landscape.

Since 2009, the Chicago Benchmarking Collaborative partners have, together, utilized resources and knowledge to improve program quality through data sharing and benchmarking best practices. Over the years, the Collaborative has developed and responded to evolving trends and the changing needs of the communities they serve, all while keeping two central goals in mind – to build field-wide knowledge in Early Childhood and After School programming and to improve educational outcomes for scholars.

To learn more about the Chicago Benchmarking Collaborative, click here.

Celebrating Our Community: Hispanic Heritage Month at Christopher House

Written by Cora Butrum on . Posted in DBEI, Insights & News. Leave a Comment

This past month, Christopher House was thrilled to honor and recognize our Hispanic and Latinx scholars, families, staff, and community during Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15). Our month-long celebrations – featuring tasty tamales, insightful learning circles, guided scholar activities, and classroom readings – highlighted the histories of Hispanic cultures from around the world and celebrated traditions that are passed on from generation to generation.

“My culture is centered around family, and in my family, a gathering would not be complete without food! We cook and bring food that’s based on recipes that my grandparents got from their parents, and on and on it goes,” Diana Villalba, Christopher House Family Advocate shared. “It’s always really special when we can all come together to eat, listen to music, dance, and just enjoy being a family.”

Between decorating classroom doors and coloring flags from over 20 countries, Christopher House staff gathered weekly to hear personal stories from prominent members of our community, including Ricardo Villalobos, Christophr House Director of Family and Community Engagement, Frank Velez, Deputy Chief/Special Events for the Chicago Fire Department, Cristina Pacione-Zayas, First Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the Mayor, and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Alderman for Chicago’s 35th ward. Reflecting on their own past experiences and their current roles, the speakers shared how their cultures and identities have influenced who they are today and the greater impact they hope to have within our shared community.

“It’s so important for children to see people who look like them in these roles – firefighters, police officers, paramedics, doctors – for them to see the same brown skin and to be able to relate and understand that there are pathways for them,” Frank Velez shared.

Christopher House is committed to creating a culture of belonging and nurturing a positive sense of identity, both within our classroom and the surrounding community, and this begins with celebrating the diversity of our scholars, families, staff members, and neighbors.

“At Christopher House, we are working to integrate celebration and recognition of identity into our daily practice,” CEO Libby neighbors said. “These months are a special time to be intentional about learning, educating, and celebrating!”

To learn more about the history of Hispanic Heritage in the US and how it was celebrated throughout Chicago, check out the resources below:

 

Christopher House Elementary School Family Advocates: Our Role and Our Heritage

Written by Cora Butrum on . Posted in DBEI, Insights & News. Leave a Comment

Christopher House is built on a two-generation model that meets the needs of our scholars and families, both in and outside of the classroom. This vital work extends across all three of our campuses – Belmont Cragin, Uptown, and Logan Square – and at Christopher House Elementary School (CHES), it would not be possible without the dedication, compassion, and expertise of Family Advocates Diana Villalba and Lesly Lopez.

Joining Christopher House at the height of the pandemic in 2021, both Diana and Lesly were immediately drawn to the empathetic and holistic support offered to the families of our scholars. With Diana’s degree in Psychology and Child Advocacy Studies, and Leslie’s in Human Services and Psychology, both were eager to find the right opportunity that would allow them to have an impact on the lives of their community members. Both Family Advocates have a deep and personal feelings that pulled them toward Christopher House and t they knew that they had found a place they were excited to call home.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Diana and Lesly to learn more about their roles as Family Advocates at Christopher House Elementary School and how their culture, language, and traditions are essential to their work.

What is a CHES Family Advocate?

Lesly Lopez: As Family Advocates, we help families feel safe and comfortable so that they can be open with us and trust us to help get whatever assistance they need. We build relationships with the parents and caregivers of our scholars and help connect them with any additional resources that they might need – we help with everything from obtaining financial assistance and applying for SNAP, to acquiring Ventra cards and accessing immigration-related resources.

Diana Villalba: Our goal is to create and maintain stability within the home. Many of our families have experienced racial trauma and encounter barriers daily. We do whatever we can to respond to their needs and find resources that will help, whether that is inside our walls or within the surrounding community. We also act as a bridge between families and our teaching staff. If parents need assistance communicating with their child’s teacher, or if a teacher notices a student in need of additional support, they reach out to us, and we help facilitate connections and conversations.

Why is our two-generation model important for our scholars and their families?

Diana: My family is from Mexico, and we lived in Los Angeles before moving to Chicago. As a child, I watched my family struggle. My dad worked a lot and when my mom wasn’t working part-time, she was with us. She spoke Spanish, and she had a really hard time communicating with teachers or administration when she came to the school. Seeing and experiencing this for myself has helped me understand what our families are experiencing.

Lesly: I can relate to that a lot… I’m also Mexican and Latina, and my family struggled financially when I was young. We didn’t have any additional support outside of the family, and my mom also only spoke Spanish. She would do her best to advocate for me and my siblings, but because of the language barrier, she often felt unheard. Being in the role that I am now, I am very passionate about what I do because I get to offer the help and support that I wish my family had when I was growing up.

How does your identity and culture support you in this role?

Diana: We can’t support families unless they feel comfortable to be open and honest about their needs. Whatever we can do to facilitate trust between us and the parents and caregivers, we do! We primarily serve Hispanic and Latinx families here at CHES, and when families hear me speak Spanish, it automatically removes one more barrier for them. It makes it easier for them to trust me and open up without any added pressure. I just let families know that a safe space for communication exists whenever they want or need to use it.

Lesly: I agree! When parents come in and see that you are able to speak their language, it creates a sort of immediate natural connection. We can understand their lived experiences on a personal level and can relate to what they are going through. During the pandemic, some families feared that their concerns and needs were not going to be heard. But when we joined the team, we were able to quickly form strong connections and alleviate their stress by letting them know that we see them, we hear them, and we are here to help them – always.

Why is it important to celebrate the identities of our staff, scholars, families, and community members?

Lesly: In my culture, family values are deeply ingrained in everything we do. If someone is hurting, we all are, and if someone is celebrating a win, we all celebrate with them. You don’t want to lose the values of where you come from, no matter what they may be. For our students and families, it’s important they see that when they walk in the school, their traditions and identities don’t stop at the door. We do our best to bring that part of home into the classroom and celebrate it for its importance and beauty. 

Diana: For my family of five, we try to get together at least once a month and reconnect over good food, music, and dancing, but honestly, no matter how much time has passed, it’s like we were never apart. I’m also a first-generation college graduate and a proud Mexican. The two are connected! My background has helped me connect with and support families in my current role, and I think it’s really important for my nieces and nephews – and our scholars and families – to see that and to know that there are educational and career pathways for them too. Truly anything is possible.

  • 1
  • 2

Join Our Newsletter

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