A Year at Kids First Chicago: What I’ve Learned from Listening to Chicago Families

As I celebrate my first year at Kids First Chicago (K1C), I’ve been reflecting on what led me here and why this works matters for the Chicago community.

I studied Community and Nonprofit Leadership (now Community and Organizational Development) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where I learned how communities can design meaningful social change. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was simple yet profound: the people most affected by institutional choices are the best equipped to shape solutions that meet their needs. 

Before I ever set foot on the UW–Madison campus, I had already experienced that truth in action - though I didn’t recognize it at the time. It started in my own high school, in the heart of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where I had the opportunity to enroll in International Baccalaureate (IB) classes. Years earlier, our school community had pursued IB accreditation because they knew offering access to this program would be an enriching opportunity for interested students. 

Those courses changed my life. They challenged me to think critically, prepared me for the rigor of college, and to see myself as part of a broader, interconnected world. 

That’s why, when I first learned about Kids First Chicago, one story immediately stood out. In 2018 and 2019, K1C parents successfully advocated for Michele Clark High School, in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, to become the West Side’s first IB high school program and for Morton Elementary in East Garfield Park to become the first regional gifted program. Their work embodied that same principle I learned years ago: when communities take the lead, they can shape the systems meant to serve them.

Every student - regardless of income, neighborhood, or school resources - deserves access to the benefits IB programs offer. By providing a challenging curriculum that encourages inquiry, creativity, and problem-solving, IB programs equip students with the future-ready skills necessary to succeed in an increasingly globalized, rapidly changing world. Of course, this is just one illustration of K1C’s work, whose impact extends well beyond this single achievement. 

When I have the opportunity to connect with the parents and caregivers we serve, I often ask, “What makes Kids First so meaningful to them?” Whether they’re working to improve safety at their child’s school, developing resources to help families better understand the importance of social-emotional learning, or serving on a transparency committee helping CPS redesign the framework for measuring school quality across all schools, the answer is always the same: Kids First listens, lets them lead with their own ideas, and provides the support and space to turn those ideas into tangible improvements for their children and peers.