Children & Teachers Foundation

The Children & Teachers Foundation’s mission is to develop networks that advance education for students, advocate for teachers and resource underserved communities. In 2014, the Chicago Teachers Union Foundation (CTUF) reorganized, established the Children & Teachers Foundation (CTF) of the Chicago Teachers Union, a 501(c)3 charitable organization.

The Children & Teachers Foundation partners with schools such as Kilmer Elementary School in Rogers Park by providing professional development to help build a positive school culture of respect and rapport, and enhance relational trust among staff. The CTF has strong partnerships and affiliations with organizations committed to youth development and system change like the Safe Schools Consortium (SSC). The SSC is a unique collaboration of three partner organizations: Alternatives, Inc., Chicago Teachers Union Quest Center, and Voices of the Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE). This unique collaborative aimed at reforming school discipline approaches (e.g., restorative practices) that address behavioral problems without pushing students out of school which adds to the school to prison pipeline. Through the SSC, a custom Teacher’s Guide to Building a Restorative Classroom was developed. This guide aligns with CPS Framework for Teaching and is a resource for educators to use in their classrooms for carrying out successful restorative practices.

“Creating a restorative school culture is transformative because students are able to engage in the process of redressing harm, discipline becomes focused on rebuilding and strengthening relationships, and students develop essential social-emotional and academic skills that are transferable and beneficial beyond the school setting.” – Walter Taylor, NBCT, Director of Professional Development at the Quest Center (Alternatives, Inc., 2017).