Improving the early childhood schooling experiences of Chicago’s children is the mission of Erikson Institute’s New Schools Project.

The project exemplifies Erikson’s commitment to the city of Chicago and its public schools, bringing the institute’s knowledge and early childhood expertise directly to prekindergarten through third-grade (PK-3) classrooms throughout the city. Erikson faculty and consultants support teachers and administrators in efforts to establish and maintain positive learning environments that are consistent with key principles of child development and learning.

The project aims to:

• develop responsive relationship-based learning communities for adults and children that meet their shared needs for autonomy, belonging, and competence; 
• provide professional development to support high quality teaching and learn through reflective practice and cognitive coaching; and
• create mutually respectful school-family-community relationships to promote optimal development and school success.

“It’s about building a community of learners: a professional community for teachers and a community of collaboration and respect for children, build on relational trust,” says NSP director and clinical associate professor Patricia Horsch.

“What we’re talking about and working toward is creating a group of children who can think, work, and collaborate together.” Such environments enable children to experience success early in their schooling and set them on a positive trajectory by recognizing the importance of continuity in both social-emotional and academic early learning experiences.

New support
We are pleased to announce two new grants to support the New Schools Project. The W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation gave $150,000 to help develop responsive learning communities and strengthen school/family/community relationships in our network of schools. The MacDougal Foundation gave $100,000 to support the project over two years, with a focus on aligning PK-3 curriculum at Owens School.  The Chicago Public Schools continue to fund this initiative. We are grateful for this support.