Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI)

?? NEW: COFI and POWER-PAC IL are pleased to share our report: “Shining a Light: How Parent-Led Solutions Can Heal Our Communities and Address Trauma" It features FIVE parent-led recommendations about improving our mental health system and shows what's working and not working for Illinois families. Get your copy now:?https://lnkd.in/gd6uV5gu

Congrats to the parent leaders and staff from EC-LINC communities on their new?Manifesto for Race Equity & Parent Leadership in Early Childhood Systems! It reveals their vision of building parent leadership for families with young children. It also mentions how COFI training helped a group of parents build a powerful team and amplify their concerns. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gQWb4ezM

Babies can't wait! Young children and their families have been on waitlists for critical early intervention (EI) services and aren't getting the essential support they need to thrive. We're partnering with parents, providers, and advocates in Aurora on Oct. 29 to discuss EI and build support for increased EI funding in the Illinois FY26 state budget. Join COFI, POWER-PAC IL, Raising Illinois, Fox Valley United Way, and SPARK Aurora Early Childhood Collaboration at the Prisco Community Center at 11 a.m. Email [email protected] to RSVP.

COFI parent leaders Donna, Dede, Liliana, and Rosazlia had a great time at the Prosperity Now Summit, which focused on how we can expand economic opportunities for all! Rosazlia and Liliana led a powerful workshop on our recent victories, like the passage of the Illinois child tax credit, and discussed our "We're Glad You Asked!" guide that shows how people in government, schools, foundations, and advocacy groups can create alliances with parent leaders.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the launch of our new campaign and release of our NEW report, "Shining A Light: How Parent-Led Solutions Can Heal Our Communities and Address Trauma." We were thrilled to have many partners join us and speak about the report, including Casildo Casey Cuevas from State Senator Karina Villa's office, Jadine Chou from Chicago Public Schools, and Dr. Gina Lowell from Rush University Medical Center. Parent leaders are energized and ready to tackle the challenges in our mental health system as we launch this parent-led campaign that will prioritize: ?? Peer support and parent-to-parent programs that fill gaps in underserved communities ?? Sensible reforms of Medicaid, which many families don’t qualify for due to their immigration status, could make mental healthcare more affordable ?? Expanding community sports and arts programming to keep kids and parents healthy ?? Supporting and investing in community mental health services, especially on the West and South Sides of Chicago and East St. Louis ?? Making sure everyone involved in education, government, and healthcare systems has a healing-centered framework, not just formally trained professionals Download our report now:?https://lnkd.in/gd6uV5gu

?? Calling all organizers! Join us at the COFI Center for Action and Learning for trainings on how to build parent power in your community! Some of our trainings will introduce you to The COFI Way, a family-focused?parent leadership and organizing model, or they'll give you firsthand experience with the model! Register today:?https://lnkd.in/grG9b-PB

COFI and Parents United for Change co-sponsored the Children's Advocates for Change Child Poverty Forum this week! Thank you to all the panelists who spoke about the opportunities and challenges around addressing poverty. Shout out to parents Gloria Hicks and Mamie Cosey for sharing parent responses and showing why parent?voices are critical to boosting economic security for families!

The discounts are a result of advocacy by Legal Action Chicago, Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI), and the National Consumer Law Center, who proposed the structure of these programs as part of rate increase requests filed by the gas utilities with the Illinois Commerce Commission in 2023. In these cases, the Commission rejected requests to raise customers’ fixed charges, sharply reduced the size of requested rate increases, and approved the first income-based gas utility discount programs in Illinois history. ? “These are historic discount programs that are set to keep hundreds of millions of dollars in customers’ pockets,” said Daniel J. Schneider, Supervisory Attorney at Legal Action Chicago. “If you think you might qualify, my advice is simple: apply starting on October 1.” #ILpol #ProtectConsumers Chicago Crusader Newspaper

The U.S. Surgeon General flagged parental stress as a potential public health crisis. COFI and POWER-PAC IL Parent Leader Rosalia Salgado spoke to WBEZ Chicago's Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons about the joys and challenges of parenting and how she supports parents in their healing journeys as a Community Healer through COFI. ?? Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gdQPEi6X

?? COFI is hiring! Join us in building a grassroots movement of parent leaders working for economic, racial, and social justice for families! We're hiring two Bilingual Parent/Community Organizers - one will be based in Chicago and the nearby suburbs, and the other will be based in Kane County (Aurora and Elgin). Apply today! https://lnkd.in/gbFFc4Cb