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Our mission is to contribute to the fullest development of Latino immigrants and their families through education, training, and employment that fosters full participation in the changing US society while preserving cultural identity and dignity.
Adult Education & After School Family Literacy - Instituto's English, GED, Citizenship and Adult Education courses help students build the foundation to further their education. Adult classes are offered on a variety of schedules to accommodate students' needs and provide on-site child care while parents are in class. Students are placed in ESL, Citizenship or Adult Education courses specific to their skill level to prepare them to move on to contextualized career courses.
Career Pathways - Assists the community through various programs such as the Immigrant Family Resource Program. This program is designed to help the community apply for different public benefit services such as Medicaid/Medicare, SNAP (Link card), unemployment, childcare, and other state-funded services they may be eligible to receive. We also provide job placement and Digital Literacy classes through our Career Pathways.
Immigration Legal Aid Services - Instituto is proud to be the largest processor of citizenship applications in the state of Illinois! Our citizenship programs and services help residents navigate the application process to become proud U.S. citizens. Our services are open to all community members by appointment only. Our services include:
- Naturalization
- DACA
- Family-Based Immigrant Petitions
- Green Card Renewals
- Asylum
- Visas for Victims of Crime and Domestic Violence
- Cannabis Expungement (through New Leaf IL)
Instituto College - Built on our expertise in workforce education and training, paired with supportive service and cultural competency, Instituto College is a contemporary education institution providing quality and accessible higher education while meeting the needs of Chicago area employers. The College offers a Basic Nursing Assistance program. This Illinois Department of Public Health-approved certification program, Basic Nursing Assistant Training (BNATP), prepares students to work in the health care industry as Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA). We also offer the Associate Degree in Nursing Program (ADN) that provides students with the nursing coursework that will result in an Associate Degree in Nursing. This is a program designed to provide an opportunity for students in the healthcare field to continue their education.
Instituto Health & Sciences Career Academy - Instituto Health & Sciences Career Academy fosters a safe and open culture, high expectations, and collaboration in all classrooms. We ignite excitement in our students about learning and we focus on exposing them to the various opportunities in the Health Sciences field while awakening their social engagement and civic duty. IHSCA students overcome obstacles and achieve success. They graduate and attend college at higher rates, but more importantly, they can think critically, collaborate, and set high expectations to confidently conquer the challenges that await them.
Instituto Justice & Leadership Academy - Instituto Justice & Leadership Academy is a second chance high school designed to serve students between the ages of 16-21 years old, who are seeking a more personalized and individualized program. We provide students with a rigorous academic program while simultaneously providing strong social emotional supports. Our educational philosophy is rooted in social justice and focuses on rebuilding students’ perspective of learning in order to navigate life in a meaningful and purposeful way.
Project AMOR - In September of 2022, Instituto responded to the influx of new migrant arrivals to Chicago by launching Project AMOR (Asylum Migrant Outreach Response). In conjunction with the City of Chicago, Instituto created an Amazon Wishlist to mobilize donation efforts for this new population. Since the launch of the wishlist, over $410,000 in essential items such as clothes, toiletries, diapers, and hygiene products, have been purchased by generous donors to help aid migrants. Instituto has also directly assisted over 3,500 asylum seekers by helping them obtain essential items as well as providing them with legal aid and financial literacy direction.
