CHICAGO YOUTH PROGRAMS INC

The mission of Chicago Youth Programs (CYP) is to improve the health and life opportunities of at-risk youth using a comprehensive approach aimed at developing their capabilities.

We understand that in order to achieve the real, transformative change that is necessary to successfully climb out of poverty, there must be impact across the broad spectrum of a child's life, with the goal of sustaining their involvement. To that end, our multi-faceted approach is:

Comprehensive: CYP operates 25 regular programs for youth, providing free, quality healthcare by volunteer physicians, literacy, tutoring, mentoring, computer skill-building, higher education preparation, arts, culture, and recreation.

Accessible: All programs are free and provide free transportation, contributing to high retention rates and long-term participation.

Efficient: Our core programs are staffed primarily by volunteers with almost all programs operating in donated space.

Effective: Using a proprietary Student Retention and Tracking System, CYP tracks each child's short and long-term outcomes. As a result, we are able to provide timely and relevant intervention.

Staffing: CYP has a very experienced staff, several with graduate degrees in their fields, many of whom grew up in, or had family members grow up in, CYP programs. Our staff members are thus uniquely qualified to design effective programming for the challenges of youth growing up in poverty in their communities. We are also supported by over 600 volunteers drawn from colleges, universities, hospitals, and businesses.

Fiscal: A large part of CYP's fiscal stability is our extensive use of in-kind resources. By leveraging the use of a primarily volunteer staff and donated facilities, we are able to operate with maximum efficiency and ensure that program funds are used wisely.

Technological: Our programs are supported through a database that tracks the attendance and outcomes of each youth. We also use various channels of communication with families and volunteers (e.g. email, text, mail, phone calls, newsletters) to ensure efficient dissemination of important information and follow-up.

I. MEASURABLE OUTCOME OBJECTIVES
A. Retention Objectives: The first step in helping youth escape poverty and all of poverty’s
associated health
and social risks long term is to keep them in positive program activities long- term.
Program Wide Retention at least 93%. Result: CYP experienced very high rates of retention,
exceeding program goals. Ninety-eight percent of program youth returned from the year before. A
full 95% remained in the program and met high attendance standards.
Average Years of Program Participation Upon High School Graduation. Goal: At least 10 years.
Result: 6 years, with a range of 1 to 15 years. With the introduction of the youth from the Mayor’s Mentoring
Initiative (serving young men and women of color in grades 5-8) into CYP’s core program model, the
average years of participation was skewed down. These youth initially joined CYP as a part of
Chicago’s former mayor’s response to street violence in the city before transitioning into CYP’s comprehensive program.
While a hit to this particular measure, CYP is excited by their enrollment. Taking out these youth,
average years of involvement is 11 years.
Yearly Retention Grades 6-9 of at least 95% –is the ages they are first attracted to gangs and
other dubious activities, and historically the age group most at-risk for dropping out of Chicago
Youth Programs. Result: 97% of 6ᵗʰ through 9ᵗʰ grade teens returned to the program and a total of
90% returned meeting high attendance standards. Adding new programs and activities geared to this
population, providing more opportunities for engagement with one another, as well as increasing the
frequency and amount of time offered weekly resulted in increased participation and new enrollments.
B. Avoidance of At-Risk Behaviors:
Positive Outcome at Age 18 –at least 90% of youth will avoid all measurable delinquencies through
18 years old. Result: 100% of program youth who turned 18 during 2019-20 had a Positive Outcome at
Age 18, avoiding, among other things, school drop-out, criminal conviction, violence victimization
while participating in violence.
Teen Parenthood Rates: Goal–less than 1/3rd the last published city rates for ages 13 - 19. CYP
continues to encourage teen girls to avoid promiscuous behavior, empower them to resist
inappropriate and aggressive advances by teen boys and men, and pursue higher education.
Result- There have been no teen births for the past four consecutive years.
C. Education Objectives:
Tutoring Pre/Post Test Scores: Goal–at least 15% average improvement in testing of appropriate grade level
concepts that are consistent with Common Core standards. Result: The average improvement was well
above 15% in all grades, ranging from 20% to 40%.
Yearly passing Rates at least 95%: Achieved
High School Graduation Rate at least 92%. Result: 100% of high school seniors graduated June 2020.
College Placement Rates at least 92%: To date, 99% of 2020 high school graduates were placed into
higher ed.