Our Mission
To educate, enrich, and empower children and families.
Our Vision
To help build a just and equitable society, the Carole Robertson Center for Learning, in partnership with families, will be a beacon of best practices, innovation, and impact in early childhood and youth development.
Our Purpose
We exist to ensure that every child and family can reach their full potential in school and life. Anchored by our commitment to closing the opportunity gap and creating a more just, inclusive, and equitable world for all children, we offer high-quality early education and youth development environments abundant in compassion, support, and empowerment.
For Families, By Families, With Families
The Carole Robertson Center for Learning is a leader in building brains and championing families. With an approach that combines direct service, robust data and evaluation practices, and community-based advocacy, the Center serves as a living incubator for fresh innovations in early childhood education and youth development. We are rooted in social justice and anchored by our mission to educate, enrich, and empower children and families—all while catalyzing systems change to benefit young learners everywhere.
Empowering Staff to Empower Everyone
It takes everyone working together to create change that lasts. Our staff comes from everywhere, but especially from the community. We grow together.
Our core values:
- Commitment to Empower and Support Our Staff
- Work Respectfully, Transparently, and with Integrity
- Listen With Open Hearts and Caring Minds
- Seek Innovation, Collaboration, and Continuous Improvement
- Take Joy and Pride in Our Work
Who Is Part of Our Planning Process?
Equity means making every voice heard and valuing everyone’s contributions. What we strive for in society, we practice at the Center. Stakeholders engaged in our planning process include:
Youth
Board of directors
Staff
Partners
Parents
Academics
Peers
Advocates
The Center’s Inspiring and Rich History Supports Generations of Youth
The story behind the vision and mission.
It was the Civil Rights Movement that channeled the inspiration for forming the Carole Robertson Center 1976. At the time, the mission was to bring equitable opportunities and experiences to youth in the community and that mission still remains today.
Our Flagship Sites. The Center of the Community.
Art. STEM. Activity. Activism. When your children open our doors, they open opportunities.
Community Partners You Can Trust
Families and community child care providers can receive additional support outside of the Center.
We have a list of trusted child care providers that are located around the city. These partners are certified and trained on the same programming offered by the Center.
Also, if you are a child care provider offering services to the local community, we have great resources and programs to help you get certification and training.
Our Staff and Volunteers
The success of our programming can be attributed to our wonderful and caring staff and our steady stream of volunteers.
Thank you so very much for all that you do and for your shared dedication to our mission to support our community’s youth and their families.
Our Centers
Where your children come to grow, learn, discover, explore, dream, and make friends.
Program Pilot and Replication Selection
We have been selected for several key new program pilots and replications because of our track record of comprehensive, sustainable, and innovative programming.
These organizations chose us to pilot their programs:
- Erikson Institute: Principles and Practices of Dual Language, 2017-2018
- Erikson Institute: EHS and PI Home Visiting Project, 2017-2018
- Jumpstart: Literacy Support Project, 2017-2018
- University of Chicago Behavioral Insights and Parenting Lab: Math for Parents and Children Together project, 2017-2019
- Chicago Community Trust Nuestro Futuro Program: Bilingual Immersion Project, 2012-2013
- Parent-Child Home Program: The 1st replication site in the state of Illinois, 2007
- Strengthening Families Illinois: Lead the Chicago Learning Network, 2005
- Erikson Institute: A validation site for the Ounce Scale- Infant Toddler Assessment Tool, 2005 – 2007
- Illinois Action for Children: Alternative Pre-K Project, 2004
- Illinois Department of Human Services: Odd Hours Child Care Program, 1999
