Parent Spotlight

CICS Lloyd Bond has been dubbed by many as a hidden gem in the Altgeld Gardens community. Carmen Washington, a longtime parent at Lloyd Bond, shares her sentiments about the campus culture within the school and why she truly believes all things are possible once you enter through CICS Lloyd Bond’s campus doors. 

“My child’s superpower is being incredibly funny, caring, and imaginative and CICS West Belden allows him to be himself.” - Sara Miranda

CICS West Belden parent Sara Miranda has been a part of the CICS community for four years. When she moved to Chicago’s Belmont-Cragin area, she was looking for a neighborhood school. It was important to her that her son attends a school that had a good reputation, a strong academic program, and small class sizes. When she did her research and found CICS West Belden, it checked all of her wishes and more! She then made the decision to enroll her son at CICS West Belden. The following story is about Sara and her son’s journey to West Belden! 

Meet CICS Bucktown Paraprofessional and parent, Cibelen Smiguel! 

As a parent, Cibelen has enjoyed being a part of the Bucktown community for the past 17 years. She has two children, one who is an alumnus and the other who is currently enrolled at CICS Bucktown. Her daughter attended Bucktown several years ago, where she was the Salutatorian for her 8th-grade class.  Cibelen has a son currently attending Bucktown and where he enjoys being a student because of its campus culture and academic setting. Cibelen’s decision to join the Bucktown community came at the advice of her sister based on her own kid's student experience. She would always talk about Bucktown’s amazing teachers and reflect on how engaged parents are involved in their child’s education. 

Rita Ponce’s son, Mateo, (virtually) graduated from kindergarten this year at CICS’ West Belden campus. Mateo is a bright, energetic and curious young boy who always wants to learn and is ahead of the curve for someone his age. She offered some insight into Mateo’s first year at West Belden–one filled with growth, opportunity, challenges and unchartered territory. 

Why did you choose to enroll your child at CICS-Bucktown?

I enrolled my children at CICS Bucktown because I heard great things about the school and it is close to my job and not too far from the community I live in. 

Why did you choose to enroll your child at CICS-IP?

My husband and I were looking for the best option for our two children. Our neighborhood has great elementary schools, but we wanted options, a choice. We know of a few other families at CICS-IP and how much they loved it.  So we started thinking our children should attend CICS-IP. We liked all the possibilities – at the time, it sounded like students here are being prepared for high school. After touring the Irving Park campus and understanding their personalized learning curriculum, we decided this was the best option for us and our children.

Why did you choose to enroll your child at CICS-IP?

For us, our decision came during our child’s second year at CICS-Irving Park. For kindergarten, CICS-IP was logistically the best option for us. The campus was on my way to work and provided a reasonably priced aftercare option. My husband and I felt good about the school when we both went to an open house, so we thought why not try it and apply the following year. We ended up loving the school and had found our home at CICS-IP! 

Why did you choose to enroll your child at CICS-IP?

We were looking for a school that offered differentiated learning of some sort. We originally enrolled in a Catholic school since the Chicago Public School lotteries were unsuccessful for us. A week before CICS-IP started its school year, we received a call that a spot was open. After a few calls and some investigation, we decided to send our daughter to CICS-IP because of the differentiated learning program.

Why did you decide to enroll your daughter at CICS Washington Park?

Tbere are two reasons for enrolling my daughter at CICS Washington Park-they are saftey and a quality education.