Education
Community Notices
New Funding
The North River Commission is excited to announce that we were recently awarded another 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC) grant from the Illinois State Board of Education to provide high-quality enrichment programs for students and families at Roosevelt High School, Haugan Elementary School, Peterson Elementary and Henry Elementary! This three-year grant will allow us to serve over 2,000 students and their families with academic support, STEM activities, arts programs, and family learning opportunities — all during out-of-school time, which includes before and after school, weekends, and summer.
Since SY 2020-21, NRC has successfully implemented the 21CCLC grant at four other local schools, offering programs like Lego Robotics, Chess, Band, SAT Prep and even Adult ESL classes for parents. Over the last five academic years we are proud to have served over 4,000 students and their families and to have provided meaningful and enriching learning opportunities to our community. We are excited to bring these and many more opportunities to our new sites!
If you are interested in funding this kind of work, especially to ensure the continuation of this programming after SY 2026-27, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Together we can build a stronger, more vibrant community on Chicago's Northwest Side!
Seeking Funding
Additionally, the North River Commission will be applying for another round of 21st Century funding to continue the implementation of enrichment programs at four more schools beginning in SY26. We aim to continue serving over 2,000 students and their families each year over the 3-year duration of the grant.
In accordance with the grant requirements, we are providing a 45-day prior notice to inform the community of our intent to apply. We aim to foster strong community partnerships, and welcome interested individuals and organizations to join us either as volunteers or as part of our dedicated team here at NRC. Please note, this notice does not guarantee that we will receive the funding.
About the 21st Century grant
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant is a U.S. federal program that provides funding to implement academic support and enrichment activities for students, as well as parent and family learning and engagement opportunities. Offered programs can include education help, STEM activities, and arts programs and occur outside of regular school hours. This is also known as "out-of-school time" which includes before and afterschool, the weekends, and even summer! NRC currently receives 21st CCLC funding through the Illinois State Board of Education.
PROGRAMS
F.O.R.G.E
Forging Opportunities Rooted in Growth & Engagement
FORGE is FREE to all registered students and their parents/guardians/caregivers. FORGE provides all programming and materials free to its participants. FORGE is funded by the North River Commission (NRC), including a grant from Illinois State Board of Education Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC).
FORGE works to close the opportunity gap for the students and communities of our partner schools by creating spaces where participants can share their experiences, connect with their peers and community members, experiment in their learning, and ultimately, have fun!
FORGE is an educational community where members (students, parents/guardians/caregivers, teachers, staff, community members, etc.) connect authentically and engage in supporting each other’s personal cultures and identities, academic pursuits, and enjoyed interests.
Palmer Elementary students participate in Forge’s Arts and Crafts program.
North River Commission collaborates with Palmer, Hibbard, and Haugan Elementary Schools to provide the Parent Mentor Program (PMP). With 23 Parent Mentors in SY 2025-26, we are providing approximately 575 students this academic year alone with essential academic and social-emotional support.
Parent mentors help address persistent equity gaps in their own children's schools by volunteering in classrooms for two hours/day for at least 200 hours. The parent mentors access weekly professional development on instructional practices, leadership, and career opportunities, mentoring from a teacher, and stipends. Parent mentors support each other within their cohort to pursue their dreams and unite the school community for long-term change.
The Parent Mentor Program is implemented in partnership with the Parent Engagement Institute, an organization that seeks to build transformative parent leadership in schools and communities across Illinois and beyond.
Parent Mentor Program
Parent Mentors at the annual statewide Parent Mentor Program Convention in April 2025.
A Parent Mentor at Haugan helps a student in the classroom.
Youth Empowerment Alliance
The North River Commission (NRC) supports 65 local high schoolers through its Youth Empowerment Alliance (YEA) program, a coalition that includes the North River Youth Council (NRYC) and the Pre-Apprenticeship Program (PAP). The creation of this program was driven by a desire to connect youth to local work opportunities, address career development needs identified by high school administrators, and address violence prevention by providing safe, guided mentored spaces for youth afterschool and on weekends.
North River Youth Council
Since 2018, the North River Youth Council has provided an opportunity for high schoolers on the northwest side of Chicago to have their voices heard and advocate for improved community conditions. NRC seeks to tap into the passion and interest that many youth in our area have expressed in working with their peers to create a healthier, safer community by encouraging their participation in civic engagement through a youth council.
The NRYC has identified and addressed a variety of local issues including mental wellness, food insecurity, safe and healthy neighborhoods, and community violence. Since its inception, the council has engaged over 100 local high school youth in civic leadership and community impact work. Members of the NRYC have developed important life and job readiness skills, including leadership, managing projects, acquiring materials, logistics and strategic planning, and collaborating with a wide-range of school, community, and business leaders, as well as local elected officials.
40th ward Alderman Andre Vazquez visiting the North River Youth Council in April 2025.
Pre-Apprenticeship Program
Currently implemented exclusively with Roosevelt High School, students in the Pre-Apprenticeship Program gain essential career development skills through this guided, mentored workforce development program. This program seeks to close the opportunity gap for low-income youth and students of color by building essential workforce skills, providing leadership training, and career exposure. The PAP offers training in soft and hard skills including professional communication, computer and financial literacy, resume writing, interview preparation, and more! Students also engage with local employers, explore technical skills and certifications, and gain insight into in-demand industries.
The Pre-Apprenticeship Program aims to promote upward mobility by empowering students and equipping them with the skills needed to pursue employment or further their education, ultimately advancing economic mobility and long-term success. This program is implemented in partnership with Digital Leaders Now, an organization striving to build professional and financial pathways in the technology sector in particular for under-resourced communities.
Students in the Pre-Apprenticeship Program reflect on how they can protect their digital footprint as they prepare to enter the workforce.
Let’s stay in touch!
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Branding and Marketing of Neighborhood Schools
a. Five Fast Fasts Campaign
b. I Choose...Campaign
Fundraising Education
a. Founded Friends of RHS
b. Hosts Fundraising Workshops
Art Programming Initiative
a. School and arts partner networking opportunities
b. Workshops on how to secure funding and lobby to elected officials
Student Voice Initiative
a. 33rd Ward Youth Council
LSC Awareness
a. Recruiting and preparing community LSC representatives for our area schools
Would you like to join? Contact Maddie Polovick at maddie@northrivercommission.org.
Click here or on the image below for more information and examples...
Illinois State University (ISU) Partnership
NRC partners with Illinois State University’s Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline or National Center for Urban Education (NCUE) to connect education majors to Chicago Public Schools and our neighborhoods, which encourages them to choose Albany Park schools for their first teaching positions. NCUE is grounded in social justice and works to cultivate and sustain innovative, resilient, and effective educators for urban schools and their communities. NRC’s service to ISU as its primary connection to Albany Park includes connections to schools, other community-based and educational organizations, and neighborhood residents to implement programs and services related to the ISU Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline (CTEP) programming for Teach Chicago Tomorrow (TCT). This includes collaboration with ISU CTEP staff to design and implement summer immersion experiences for various TCT cohorts and supporting community outreach for TCT program.
The Pipeline has carefully constructed and refined a model of pre-service professional development for urban teachers that demonstrate the value of community-based partnerships to enhance shared educational goals. North River Commission is NCUE’s chosen community partner in Albany Park. At the NRC we work closely with ISU professors and student teachers, as well as local schools and community organizations to coordinate learning opportunities or clinical site visits in the North River service area. ISU Education students come here to observe classes, engage in school activities, receive community tours, and participate in community projects. These visits acquaint prospective teachers with the area, and promote our diverse and dynamic community; its schools, businesses and organizations.
ISU Education students also become familiar with the NRC service area through STEP-UP (Summer Teacher Education Partnership for Urban Preparation) program. STEP-UP is a 4-week teaching and community internship and summer residency program for pre-service teachers from Illinois State University. NRC has partnered with community organizations throughout our service area to place new student teachers in internships. These internships and home stays steep students in our community culture, make them more effective student teachers, as well as provide community organizations with needed assistance.
ISU Education students are then placed in our area schools to complete their student teaching. Pre-service teachers can opt to do Traditional Student Teaching, which consists of sixteen weeks of a student teaching with a cooperating teacher and evening seminars at CTEP that expand student teachers knowledge on relevant topics with housing options available in the community. Or they can chose to do Professional Development School, which is a year-long internship consisting of two phases. Student teachers work under two cooperating teachers in two different schools in the community during the year, attend classes at CTEP, and are visited by a site coordinator to ensure they are developing appropriately.
Once ISU student teachers graduate we hope they choose to teach in Albany Park schools. The retention and effectiveness rates of ISU CTEP graduates are extremely high due to the aforementioned intense preparation, as well as continued support. First and second year teachers identify veteran teachers to serve at their mentors, and the mentor and mentee pairs attend PD throughout the year on various topics, as well as receive technological and financial supports.
Chicago Public Schools including charters, in the North River Commission service area
FAQs
How many Chicago Public Schools are in the NRC service area?
There are 25 Chicago Public Schools (including charters) in the NRC Service Area
How many schools has FORGE programming?
The NRC FORGE programs are currently running in 4 schools: Von Steuben, Albany Park Multicultural Academy, Bateman, and Palmer and soon to be starting programs at 4 more schools in the FY2025 school year - Peterson, Patrick Henry, Haugan Elementary Schools, and Roosevelt High School.
NRC is applying for new funding to provide programming to 4 more schools in our service area.
What kind of Out-of-School Time (OST) programs does FORGE offer?
The North River Commission has implemented this grant since SY 2020-21 at four other local schools and has successfully provided programs such as Lego Robotics, Chess, Band, and SAT Prep, as well as Adult ESL classes for parents and family members.