Education & School Age Youth

In August of 2011, The National Head Start Center has implemented the Head Start Parent, Family and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework, the first of its kind. The Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework provide programs with a research based, organizational guide for implementing relevant Head Start Program Performance Standards. Because supporting children's school readiness is an ongoing partnership between staff and families, the PFCE Framework is a tool that all staff and families can use. The entire Head Start and Early Head Start staff has received training.

We are proud to announce the return of our highly anticipated Camp Nkiru Summer Leadership Academy, aimed at empowering youth in grades 9th through 12th with academic enrichment, leadership skills, and a platform for making positive life choices. This free summer camp is designed to inspire and equip young individuals with the tools they need to excel academically and thrive personally.

Since its inception in the 1950s, the G.B. Winston Scholarship has stood as a beacon of hope and opportunity for the youth of Sangamon County. Established by the former Executive Director of the Springfield Urban League, Reverend George Beverly Winston, this scholarship embodies the spirit of community empowerment and educational advancement. With its longstanding commitment to supporting the dreams and aspirations of local students, the G.B. Winston Scholarship continues to make a meaningful impact on the lives of countless individuals.

The purpose of Teen REACH is to help youth achieve positive growth and development, improve expectations and capabilities for future success, and avoid and/or reduce risk-taking behavior through academic enrichment, life skills education, parental involvement, recreational/cultural opportunities, positive adult mentors, and community service. The League acts as fiscal agent for four Teen REACH sites including its own at the Brandon Outreach Center. Programs operate during the school year and throughout the summer months.

Springfield Urban League Robotics Program competes in the FRC Robotics League under US FIRST. This program combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program a robot to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It's as close to "real world" engineering as a student can get. Professional Mentors volunteer their time and talents to guide each team.

For the last seven years, the School Age and Community Youth Division has worked diligently to plan and promote an annual Historical Black College and University (HBCU) tour. The HBCU tour exemplifies the League's motto of 'empowering communities and changing lives' by providing students and parents with the tools they need to discover the path that will take them to the fulfillment of a brighter future, because as Malcolm X said, "Education is the passport to the future, tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today."

Click Here to Register For Freedom School 2024

The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) works with community sponsors, parents, young adults and caring community leaders to forge a new vision for working with and educating children through the CDF Freedom Schools program.

The 21st Century Community Learning Program is a program funded by the Illinois State Board of Education and seeks to provide academic and recreational enrichment activities to at-risk youth. In addition to homework help the program will provide cultural, recreational, and service-learning activities that will further aid students in connecting with the world around them.