Neighborhood Schools Program
The Neighborhood Schools Program (NSP) is an outreach program of the Office of Civic Engagement, and one of the University of Chicago's longest-standing community outreach programs.
Founded in 1976, as an effort to create pathways of engagement between the University and local schools, our program has grown over the years and now partners with 40 sites on Chicago's South Side and involves over 400 University student employees and volunteers engaging with more than 3,000 local youth each year.
Our partner sites include elementary, middle, and high schools, and community centers. We place students in roles such as teaching assistants, administrative interns, and preschool specialists through our core NSP in-school program, Jumpstart Preschool Program and Maroon Tutor Match.
We offer different ways for local schools, community partners, parents, and UChicago students, campus partners, and alumni to get involved!
Get Involved
UChicago Students
NSP has over 400 University students who work as employees and volunteers during the academic year, and we have a place for you, too! You can apply to work or volunteer with NSP, Maroon Tutor Match (MTM), or Jumpstart (JS).
NSP will place you to work as a classroom assistant or tutor in a neighborhood K-12 school. Through MTM, you can work as a 1:1 tutor for neighborhood students. Jumpstart allows you to teach preschool students in a team setting in Woodlawn schools.
Local schools and community partners
If you would like NSP tutors to support your classroom, administrative interns to support your school office or if you are interested in collaborating with NSP in another way, you can e-mail Brandi Snodgrass, Director of Neighborhood School Partnerships at bsnodgrass@uchicago.edu.
Additionally, you can invite your community’s families to participate in Maroon Tutor Match, our 1:1 tutoring program or Homework Help Centers.
Please subscribe to our NSP Monthly Newsletter for important updates on events and programs!
UChicago Campus Partners
NSP allies with hundreds of students each year who are invested in working for and serving their community.
We are involved with a variety of University departments and programs, collaborating to increase the civic engagement of the University and its student body.
If you are a member of the University and would like to discuss new ideas or potential partnerships, please e-mail Brandi Snodgrass, Director of Neighborhood School Partnerships at bsnodgrass@uchicago.edu.
Featured news
Low-to-no-cost Maroon Tutor Match pairs UChicago students with local K–12 students for one-on-one tutoring that benefits tutees and tutors alike
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Neighborhood Schools Program STEM Corps initiative helps local public schools grow STEM-focused programming
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UChicago students help support young migrants through Neighborhood Schools Program
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UChicago students and South Side community members of all ages team up for pilot preschool support program in Woodlawn
Profiles
Joshua Lee
Neighborhood Schools Program Homework Help Initiative
A free after-school initiative, Homework Help has helped high school student Joshua Lee not only with algebra, but with his confidence, too.
Brady Janssen
Neighborhood Schools Program Homework Help Initiative
In her role as site coordinator for Homework Help, Janssen oversees scheduling with parents, matches participating local students with UChicago student tutors for 30-minute time slots, works closely with community partner teams on site, and occasionally serves as a tutor herself.
Rioghna Pittock
Neighborhood Schools Program
Throughout the past school year Rioghna Pittock, a second-year University of Chicago College student, worked with local elementary school students at Ariel Community Academy weekly as a tutor and teaching assistant with UChicago’s Neighborhood Schools Program (NSP).
Kelli Stanley
Neighborhood Schools Program
Kelli Stanley, assistant principal at Ariel Community Academy in Kenwood, has seen the positive impact the University of Chicago’s long-running Neighborhood Schools Program (NSP) has had on her school’s students and teachers firsthand.
Zoë Benjamin
Jumpstart
Benjamin, who’s originally from Oakland, California, has worked with preschoolers as a Jumpstart activity leader and classroom aide at Emmett Till Math and Science Academy in Woodlawn since her first year at UChicago.
Mellodie Brown
Neighborhood Schools Program
In the five years that she’s worked with the University of Chicago’s Neighborhood Schools Program (NSP), Bronzeville principal Mellodie Brown says that in addition to the increased academic perform...
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