YCCS participated in The Grow Your Own Teachers rally held on Tuesday, February 23 in the Capitol Rotunda.  There were a total of 200 GYO teacher candidates from around the state, along with higher education and community partners, there to celebrate Grow Your Own Teachers Day.

 The purpose of the rally was to give GYO candidates from around the state a chance to celebrate together while thanking the legislature for their support of Grow Your Own. GYO candidates got the opportunity to make the case for continuing funds needed for 2011 Fiscal Year. Statewide, there are 16 GYO partnerships and 8 in Chicago. The partnership includes 16 community organizations, 8 public universities, 4 private colleges or universities, 12 community colleges, 23 school districts, and 2 unions.

 GYO was established as a community-based answer to the challenge of finding and retaining a qualified teaching pool for high-need schools. Recognizing that many schools face high teacher turnover, the program looked to those within the neighborhood of the schools with experience and expertise in reaching at-risk students, targeting parents, volunteers and support staff and giving them a chance to become certified instructors.  Jeneen Whitenhill, YCCS Professional Development Coordinator and coordinator for the YCCS GYO Cohort, believes GYO allows teachers to live and work in the same neighborhood which benefits everyone. “GYO candidates have a deep knowledge and understanding of the students, their families, language and culture. While other teachers go home at the end of the day, our teachers are already “home”.

 The budget crisis that Illinois is currently under threatens the continuation of GYO. Without the state funding, GYO will not be able to support the admission of nearly 200 teacher candidates who are now on a waiting list nor continuing supporting over 500 candidates already in college. YCCS teacher candidates along with others from Rockford, Peoria and other areas of Illinois brought a bright light to the importance of sustaining GYO funding in the upcoming fiscal year.  Stephen Andrew, Resources Coordinator for Grow Your Own Illinois, thinks the GYO Day left a lasting impression on State Legislators. “This was a strong start for our campaign to save GYO. We had the best representation ever from around the state. We gained great legislative support with the inspiring speeches from all the GYO candidates.” The GYO partnership will continue to garner support for continuing funding and growth of the GYO Program with online campaign and media attention to the issue. For more information regarding Grow Your Own, please contact Jeneen Whitenhill, 312-328-0799. Also click here to see a news story about GYO Day in Springfield.