Since August 2022, Chicago has welcomed over 35,000 individuals seeking asylum who have arrived from the southern border. Many families are arriving with young children — over 1,800 children under five as of November 2023, a number that has continued to grow. After the trauma of their journey to Chicago, families with young children face a number of unique needs — including mental health support, childcare to seek employment and respite from the challenging environment in shelters. Early childhood programs – including centers, schools and home visiting – can play a key role in promoting healthy child development, supporting school readiness and accessing the resources that families need. This conversation will focus on the challenges that families face in accessing resources, the barriers that early childhood programs experience in serving newly arrived families and the opportunities for philanthropy to play a meaningful role in the short and long-term.
Panelists
Cristina De La Rosa, Executive Director, Erie Neighborhood House
Alicia Castañeda Rodriguez, Sr. Director of Family Support and Services, Carole Robertson Center for Learning
Ashley Nazarak, VP of Program Scaling and Dissemination, Carole Robertson Center for Learning
Beatriz Ponce de Leon, Deputy Mayor of Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights, Chicago Mayor’s Office
Mariana Osoria, First Deputy of Human Services, Chicago Mayor’s Office
Veronica Castro, Deputy Director, ICIRR
Moderator
Bryan Stokes II, Director, Education Portfolio, Robert R. McCormick Foundation
All participants must be registered and a member of the Education Funders Group or the Immigration Funders Collaborative to attend.