Group Photo of Hope Chicago Families are Holiday Hope Event

HOPE CHICAGO PRESS RELEASE: DECEMBER 11, 2023

Hope Chicago’s Parent Scholar Program Underway with More Than 50 Families – Parent and Child – Enrolled in Debt-Free Postsecondary Programs

“Holiday Hope Day” event celebrates the first cohort of Hope Parent Scholars – alongside their children also enrolled – working to reach their full potential, together, through Hope Chicago’s two-generation model

CHICAGO — Hope Chicago, the new two-generation economic mobility program that promised debt-free college and workforce opportunities to 4,000 Chicago Public School graduates and their parents at five Chicago neighborhood high schools, is officially supporting two generations of simultaneous pursuit of degrees and/or professional certifications with the first cohort of Hope Parent Scholars.

Launched in 2022, Hope Chicago is creating pathways to success for multiple generations of Chicagoans through equitable access to higher education. By removing the barriers that hold low-income, first-generation college students back, Hope Chicago strives to shrink the racial wealth gap, uplifting families and entire communities in Chicago. To date, college enrollment is up 30 percent at the five Hope Chicago partner high schools.

"A postsecondary education – whether certificate program, two-year or four-year college, or apprenticeship – remains the surest path to financial stability in America. Higher education isn't confined by age; it's a timeless gateway to limitless growth and opportunity,” said Dr. Janice Jackson, Hope Chicago CEO. “Embracing higher education later in life isn't just about degrees; it’s also about dollars. Each Hope Scholar and Hope Parent Scholar is projected to have greater earning potential, live a healthier life, and contribute more to city, state and federal economies. Hope Chicago’s unique approach simultaneously lifts up two generations of Chicagoans in our city’s neighborhoods that need it most – and we’re just getting started.”

On December 9, Hope Parent Scholars were celebrated during the organization’s “Holiday Hope Day” event at Kennedy-King College on Chicago’s South Side. The breakfast program featured supportive remarks by speakers Dr. Jackson, City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado, Illinois State Senator Javier Cervantes, and Hope Parent Scholar Yolanda White, who all applauded the first cohort of Hope Parent Scholars who are going back to school to get a degree or participate in a workforce training program.

Nilsy Alvarado, a Hope Parent Scholar attending Western Governors University, and the mother of a current Hope Scholar and future Hope Scholar still in high school, views being part of Hope Chicago as a blessing. "I feel I won double the lottery with Hope Chicago. They opened the doors for my kids and myself to opportunities I never thought were possible," says Alvarado.

Hope Chicago’s Parent Scholar Program is supported by a network of 17 higher education institutions and workforce partner organizations that offer options for postsecondary education in business administration, education, healthcare, tech, and trade verticals. Options within these pathways allow interested parents and guardians to either complete their college degree, build skills to support their current profession or pursue a new career without incurring educational or workforce training debt. Currently, 58 percent of Hope Parent Scholars are pursuing a four-year degree, 37 percent are pursuing a two-year degree, and five percent are in workforce training programs.

To serve Hope Parent Scholars, Hope Chicago partners with the Chicago Urban League and Instituto del Progreso Latino, two community-based organizations recognized for their work in serving Chicago’s families, who support pathway match/fit and provide dedicated Parent Support Coaches. Hope Parent Scholars also receive mentoring and coaching from additional direct service partners specializing in adult postsecondary education, such as One Million Degrees and Lift Chicago.

Hope Chicago Parent Scholar Program Educational Partners:

  • City Colleges of Chicago

  • National Louis University

  • Noble Forward

  • Northeastern Illinois University

  • Southern New Hampshire University

  • Western Governors University

  • Western Governors University Academy

Hope Chicago Parent Scholar Program Workforce Partners:

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois

  • Chicago Urban League

  • CHICAT

  • Discovery Partners Institute part of the University of Illinois System

  • HIRE360

  • Instituto del Progreso Latino

  • JumpHire

  • LiftUp Enterprises

  • Northwestern Medicine

Entry and ongoing eligibility for program participants depend on their Hope Scholar (child) persisting full-time throughout their own postsecondary pursuits while obtaining satisfactory academic progress.

For more information about the Parent Scholar Program, visit: hopechicago.org/parents. For more on the economic benefits of investing in higher education, view Hope Chicago’s latest economic report here.

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About Hope Chicago

Hope Chicago's mission is to create pathways to success for multiple generations of Chicagoans through equitable access to debt-free higher education and the support to complete postsecondary journeys. In February of 2022, Hope Chicago promised every enrolled student and one parent/guardian of each student the opportunity to pursue a debt-free postsecondary education at five Chicago community high schools across the city’s South, Southwest, and West Sides – accounting for 4,000 families. Hope Chicago’s goal is to provide debt-free higher education to 30,000 CPS students and their parents over the next decade.

For more information about the Parent Scholar Program, please visit hopechicago.org/parents.

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