Parent University Chicago West Provides Workshops For Parents, With Free Childcare

Parent University Chicago West recently held a ceremony for graduates of its programs. Participants are able to dive into various topics, while receiving free childcare. Photo provided by Rise Strategy Group.
Parent University Chicago West recently held a ceremony for graduates of its programs. Participants are able to dive into various topics, while receiving free childcare. Photo provided by Rise Strategy Group.

Parent University Chicago West Provides Workshops For Parents, With Free Childcare

By Tia Carol Jones

Sonya Moore was looking for a place that catered to parents. When she was invited to Parent University, she was able to get a feel for the classes and workshops. She started to take classes and experience things she never had access to before, like art therapy and kickboxing. It changed her life.

“Art therapy is something I now use to relieve stress and just kind of mellow my thoughts and I incorporated it into my day-to-day life,” Moore said. “Overall, Parent University was very family oriented, they had a lot of vendors that come out and I was able to sign up for things I didn’t know existed within the community.”

Moore was one of 26 parents who graduated during Parent University Chicago West’s Feb. 22nd ceremony at Malcolm X College.

Parent University Chicago West was started by Illinois Action for Children in 2022. Parent University Chicago West works with the community and parents on the West side of Chicago to host workshops and trainings sessions that are tailored toward what the parents want to engage in. 

Those topics include stress management, effective child and parent communication, work-life balance, co-parenting, as well as self-defense classes. Illinois Action for Children works directly with communities to identify the type of support families and parents need to achieve stability. 

“At Parent University, we created a safe space for them to come and participate in parent-driven workshops with the goal to enhance their skills and ignite their passions or what they really want to lean towards more,” said Rarzail Jones, Director of Community Connections at Illinois Action for Children and oversees the Parent University Chicago West program.

Jones added that Parent University West is also meant to foster a sense of empowerment, for the parents who participate in the workshops, as well as their families. Community partners are also invited to share relevant information and resources during the workshops. This way, the parents and families receive necessary resources along with what they are learning at the workshops.

Since Parent University began, there have been around 400 parents who have attended more than 45 workshops. Jones said that parents who are surveyed after each event, rate the events at 9.5. 

The feedback includes that the parents enjoy the high energy space and learning about topics that are relevant to them, while having childcare provided for them and being able to learn from each other. Jones said other feedback includes parents like that they can choose what they want to learn and feel their input is received.

“This has created a space where once they’re in those settings and they’re hearing from one another, and they’re seeing their stories are similar, they want to meet each other, plan play dates and look forward to coming together and meeting each other outside of Parent University,” Jones said.

The next session will take place from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 29th, at Holy Family Ministries, located at 3415 W. Arthington St.

To register, visit www.actforchildren.org and click North Lawndale Community Connections.


Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

Geneba Tequila- Ingrid LaVon