We’re officially back in-person with our students! Before we transition into our WITS programs beginning this fall, we want to recognize our in-person program this past summer, WITS Early Childhood … Read More
Early Childhood Summer Program (ECSP) 2022
WITS programming does not stop once the WITS school year programs are over! During the summer, WITS hosts a pre-kindergarten readiness program called the WITS Early Childhood Summer Program (ECSP). … Read More
Professional Development for Chicago Teachers – Summer 2022
WITS is excited to welcome all elementary Chicagoland educators to participate in high-quality, teacher-led professional development alongside Rochelle Lee Teacher Awardees! Each summer, the Rochelle Lee Teacher Award offers workshops about literacy, … Read More
Celebrating WITS Kindergarten
In March 2022, nearly two years to the day that WITS ceased in-person programming at schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, kindergarten students sat next to their mentors, opened up … Read More
Back to the Office and Back to the Classroom: How WITS Creates Community across Chicago’s Neighborhoods
For 791 days (give or take what you will) we have been working in some form of professional athleisure; repurposing surfaces in our home normally reserved for eating or sleeping … Read More
WITS Beginnings: A Story from Founding Volunteer Ginny Carlson
Editor’s note: Ginny and Roger Carlson are long-time WITS supporters and volunteers. As WITS CEO Tena Latona espoused in 2020, “As the CEO of an organization you hope for Board … Read More
WITS – The largest provider of literacy programming
WITS began in a single classroom in 1991. Today we are the largest provider of literacy programming to teachers and students in Chicago Public Schools. There was a moment over … Read More
WITS began in a single classroom in 1991
WITS began in a single classroom. When founders, Joanne Alter and Marion Stone, asked a neighborhood educator what they could do to most benefit her students, the answer was simple: … Read More
The White Sox and WITS: Supporting Communities Together
The Chicago White Sox began their partnership with WITS in 2010, shortly after launching the White Sox Volunteer Corps. Christine O’Reilly is the White Sox Vice President of Community Relations & … Read More
This Weekend in Chicago: Colson Whitehead on “Harlem Shuffle”
Colson Whitehead will be the keynote speaker this weekend at the 36th annual Printers Row Lit Fest (PRLF). The festival is an opportunity to celebrate and support Chicago’s independent bookstores, … Read More











