Parent Mentor Program - Youth Crossroads, Inc.

The Parent Mentor Program trains Cicero parents to assist elementary school teachers with classroom instruction, including reading, writing, vocabulary, and math. Parent mentors share the same language, culture, and socio-economic status of the students and teachers they serve. The program also gives parents the tools they need to better support their child’s education going forward, including understanding the curriculum, learning outcomes, and helping their children with homework and tests.

Professional development for Parent Mentors is our top priority. The Parent Mentor Group receives weekly and monthly informational workshops and trainings from various organizations that serve the Cicero community, these trainings and workshops are provided in order to gain knowledge for use in the classrooms and the community.

The Parent Mentor Program is currently in 4 Schools within District 99, Liberty, Warren Park, Sherlock, and Goodwin. The requirements for the program go as follows:

2 Hr. classroom time (Monday-Thursday)
100 Hrs. per semester
Cicero Resident
Mentor must have child enrolled in participating school

The Parent Mentor Program is expanding every year. Hoping to keep growing and helping children succeed.

Janette Andrade, BA

Community Outreach Coordinator Parent Ambassador Liaison / Parent Mentor Program Organizer

Janette Andrade was raised in the South Side of Chicago in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Her family is from Jalisco, Mexico and she is a first-generation college student and received her bachelor’s in criminology and political science from UIC in 2019. Janette has dedicated her work to working in the communities within the city of Chicago and outside the city to help promote different resources to the community. Her work has focused on working with the youth as she recognizes the importance of creating programming’s to help the youth progress in life. Prior to this role, Janette has worked in different political campaigns in the state of Illinois and has been actively engaged in her community.