April 2025 Center Spotlight | | |
Take Action to Save Head Start Funding
Millions of children and families nationwide have relied on Head Start throughout the program’s 60-year history. Head Start provides high-quality education, care, and family supports in an environment that promotes children’s health and safety. The Carole Robertson Center for Learning has been one of Chicago’s largest providers of Head Start programs for children and families for nearly 40 years. But that funding is now under threat.
Recent news articles have indicated that Head Start funding may be eliminated from the Fiscal Year 2026 federal budget, which would potentially eliminate access to early childhood education and care for approximately 800,000 children across the country. Urban, suburban, and rural families who rely on Head Start programs would be faced with difficult choices about how to access reliable, affordable, high-quality child care, which is critical to enabling many families to work or pursue ongoing education and training. In Illinois, about 28,000 children would be impacted by the loss of funding, including the roughly 2,000 children 0-5 that the Carole Robertson Center and our partners serve each year through Head Start and Early Head Start.
| | Please consider contacting your Congressional leaders TODAY to urge your elected officials to protect Head Start in Congress’ final federal budget. | |
More information and resources are provided below:
| |
| |
Center Staff Advocate for Early Learning, Youth Development in Springfield
Carole Robertson Center staff members and fellow early childhood education (ECE) advocates from across Illinois traveled to Springfield to celebrate ECE Advocacy Day. While there, Center staff engaged with elected officials and key decision-makers, including Senator Ram Villivalam, Latino Policy Forum representatives, Illinois Deputy Governor for Education Martin Torres, and Illinois Department of Early Childhood Secretary Dr. Teresa Ramos. A growing number of advocates from the Center stood alongside fellow leaders in the field to highlight the critical importance and lasting impact of investment in early childhood education.
Kenny Riley, the Center’s Senior Director of Youth Development, also made the trip to Springfield for Youth Advocacy Day, where he championed the need for continued investment in after-school programming and youth development initiatives.
| | | | | |
Carole Robertson Center Team Welcomes Representative Delia Ramirez to Albany Park Flagship Site
Carole Robertson Center staff welcomed Representative Delia Ramirez to our Albany Park flagship location in March. During her visit, Representative Ramirez learned about the Center’s mission and the vital need to invest in our youngest learners.
| | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION (0-5) | |
The Center Celebrates NAEYC's Week of the Young Child
In April, the Carole Robertson Center celebrated Week of the Young Child, an annual celebration of early learning sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). At the Center, children, families, and teachers came together to celebrate through hands-on, collaborative projects that explored math, science, and literacy through the lens of creative play. From crafting tambourines out of buttons and paper plates to painting colorful murals with the guidance of our teachers, every activity reflected the value of early childhood education and the joy of learning through exploration.
| | | | |
A Look Inside our FY24 Annual Report: "The Art & Science of Sparking Potential"
The Carole Robertson Center’s FY24 Annual Report centers on the theme: “The Art & Science of Sparking Potential.” Inside, you’ll see how our programs blend creativity with evidence-based practices to lay the groundwork for lifelong learning. From nurturing brain development to preparing children for success in school and life, our work empowers not only young learners but also their families and the communities we serve.
| | Capital Improvement Updates at Little Village Flagship Site | | |
Our first comprehensive fundraising campaign—Invest Today, Empower Tomorrow—is underway. This $20 million initiative supports critical capital improvements at our three flagship sites, as well as program innovation and long-term organizational sustainability, strengthening our capacity to deliver high-quality education and family support in the communities we serve. Phase one of construction is now complete at our Little Village site. As we move into the next phase of renovations, we invite you to help us continue to create spaces that nurture learning, empower families, and uplift communities.
We are so grateful to the staff and volunteers who helped us pack up our temporary classrooms in preparation for the move into our brand new spaces!
| | COMING SOON! The 2025 UnGala: Building a Sustainable Future Together | | |
This spring, we’re making room for something new—our very first UnGala! As our reach grows, our buildings transform, and our mission to educate, enrich, and empower enters its next chapter, we invite you to join us in a virtual celebration of progress, purpose, and possibility.
From May 15 through June 6, we’re going digital—hosting a vibrant online campaign filled with community stories, raffles, a silent auction, and ways to give that help lay the foundation for our future.
| | Keep your eyes peeled for future emails and social media posts on ways to get involved! | | |
Empower Your Community Today
At the Carole Robertson Center, we are committed to improving the lives of Chicago’s children and families as well as highlighting the voices and experiences of our dedicated staff that work to celebrate our mission: to educate, enrich, and empower families.
See how staff help uplift the children and families we serve every day in a new series featured on our social media platforms, “Tiny Mic, Big Voices,” and join our team to help make a difference in your community.
| | | | | |
An Honor & Responsibility
Since its inception, the Center has worked to honor the life and memory of Carole Robertson who, together with her friends Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair, was killed in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.
| | | | |
