Support CICS - Chicago International Charter School

Support CICS

Donate

Volunteer

Contact Legislators

We launched the CICS Family Relief Fund which provides support to CICS students, families and educators, such as:

Grocery gift cards to ensure that no CICS child or family member goes hungry;
Additional technology devices such as Chromebooks and iPads to provide students with access to their teachers and peers, as well as online learning content;
Art supplies, crayons and coloring books to help fill students’ days;
Hotspots for educators to grow their bandwidth to engage with students and participate in professional development on our new distance learning approach.

If you would like to donate these items or to learn more about these donations, please contact (312) 651-5000.

Donate

Help CICS catalyze the next wave of school innovation in Chicago!

Fostering innovation is core to our vision of excellence. We depend on private support to grow and advance our innovation initiatives, invest in the next generation of educational leaders and transform the landscape for our students, our schools and the Chicago educational ecosystem.

The generous support of corporate, foundation and individual partners allows CICS to boldly capitalize on new ideas and empower new leaders to drive meaningful change that propels every student, every day, along the path to success in school and in life.

Every gift makes a difference to our 8,000 students!

Your Contributions Cultivate Innovation

Donate Now

Thank you for your generosity that helps us provide an excellent education to every child, every day.

Click here to review the CICS Donor Privacy Policy.

By Mail

To donate by mail please send a check to:

Chicago International Charter Schools
ATTN: Finance Department
11 E. Adams, Ste. 600
Chicago, IL 60603

Corporate Matching Gifts

Many employers offer a matching gift program. Check with your employer to see if you are able to increase the impact of your donation through a corporate matching gift.

Volunteer

Got passion? Connect with CICS.

We’re always looking for talented interns and enthusiastic volunteers passionate about supporting our vision.

Internship Opportunities

Our interns work with our professional staff in our network office in downtown Chicago. If you’re an emerging leader eager to hone your strategic, planning, operations and communication skills pursuing educational equity, innovation and excellence, please contact Liz Williams-Clark.

Liz Williams-Clark

Director of Human Resources
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Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers enrich our students’ experiences and support our 14 school campuses in multiple ways, including:

Participating in college fairs and career days
Organizing and judging science fairs
Providing job shadowing opportunities for students
Reading to students
Mentoring and/or tutoring students
Organizing community clean-up campaigns
Assist high school seniors with college applications and/or resumes

Please contact Liz Williams-Clark if your company or organization is interested in partnering with us on a volunteer program. We welcome your involvement.

Liz Williams-Clark

Director of Human Resources
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Advocacy and Engagement

Share your enthusiasm with your legislators.

Calling or visiting your legislators offers an excellent opportunity to make your voice heard. To find or contact your legislators, please click on the link below.

Find and contact your legislators

Parents:

Talk about your school and how it has made a difference in your child's life. Use examples to illustrate this - e.g., does your student have special learning needs that are met exceptionally well by your school's teachers? What are the positive changes you have seen in your child since he/she started at a CICS campus? Does your child participate in extra-curricular activities?
Are you willing to drive two hours a day to make sure your child has access to the high-quality education that only your school can provide?
Why did you choose a charter school over a neighborhood school?
How is your school preparing your child for college?

Teachers:

Share stories of how your school culture helps make you a better teacher, and how the flexibility of charter schools empowers you to take creative approaches to making a difference in your students' lives.
How has the longer school year influenced your curriculum?
Why is autonomy in the classroom so important? Use examples from the classroom to the athletic field.

Staff:

How would extra funding make a difference at your school? Be specific - could you hire a teacher's aide to help improve differentiated instruction? Update your learning resources? Offer a more competitive salary to retain your best and brightest educators?
Can you describe the communities (both within and outside of your school's walls) that your school serves?

Supporters:

Speak about your involvement with CICS or a CICS campus. What do you like about working with our schools?
If you are a program provider or vendor, how many jobs have you created in Chicago communities thanks to your partnership with CICS?
How is the educational environment at a CICS campus different?

Do you appreciate your charter school choice? Make your voice heard.

Our voices are heard when we find opportunities to publically promote charter schools. To join the conversation and stay informed on legislative issues that affect charter schools, we encourage you to join our email list, "Follow" CICS on Twitter and "Like" us on Facebook.

CICS is energized by the fact that so many of our parents have joined charter families from across the city who want their children to continue to have the option of a high-quality, college preparatory charter public school education. We have all seen the positive impact charter schools have made in our children’s education and we believe that charter school families deserve equality in funding and a voice in the future of our children’s education.

For ways to get involved with CICS’s advocacy work, please contact Luis Sanchez.

Luis Sanchez

Director of Communications and Public Affairs
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312-651-5000

Chicago International Charter School

11 E. Adams
Suite 600
Chicago, IL, 60603

P: (312) 651-5000
F: (312) 651-5001
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.