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, community centers, and government offices. 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 500 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 in a community school classroom or government office. 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 help your school, classroom, or 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.
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.
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Profiles
Abraham and Karen Potts
Maroon Tutor Match
“[Tutor Meera Santhanam] really taught him how to study and prepare for testing and, more than that, showed him the value of studying. She’s given him valuable insight into college and what it requires.”
Akanksha Shah
Maroon Tutor Match
“Maroon Tutor Match helped me learn to work with people — not just students and families, but tutors as well — who were very different from me and had different priorities and struggles. Getting a better understanding of where people are coming from is invaluable.”
Ben Samuels-Kalow
Neighborhood Schools Program
“I learned at NSP that I wanted to do this work. And I developed the base instinct that informs Creo: School should be a place where students are always safe and never bored.”
Claire Sampson
Neighborhood Schools Program
“As an NSP volunteer, I felt that I was in classrooms to build relationships with students and teachers and schools. It’s all about those 35 kids and what they need, whether that means helping a teacher prep curriculum work, grading papers, or working with a student one-on-one.”
David and Dylan Aldridge and Joseph Pinto
Maroon Tutor Match
With remote learning leaving students feeling disconnected and facing learning loss, many student employees in the University’s Neighborhood Schools Program like Joseph Pinto have spent the year participating in Maroon Tutor Match, which provides personalized one-on-one tutoring to CPS students like the Aldridges at low or no cost.
Jose Heredia
University of Chicago College Advising Corps
“It’s a lot of work, but it also allows me to draw upon a wide range of situations and prepares me for a population with diverse needs."
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