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Natalie Vesga

Associate Manager of Education Policy

Natalie works to enhance the capacity of community-based organizations and school districts by helping them implement and sustain ongoing immigrant parent engagement through the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors program.

Under her purview, the programming has expanded outside of Chicago to include Aurora, Berwyn, Cicero, Joliet, Rockford, and West Chicago.

She provides master training, technical assistance, and evaluation tools to more than 100 organizations and 20 schools who implement the program—reaching more than 2,000 families in Illinois. The metro Chicago model also connects Abriendo Puertas parents with opportunities to talk with legislators to promote access and increased funding for quality early childhood education programs. In addition, Natalie works to engage parents as critical stakeholders to inform state education plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act. She also supports organizational working groups to provide specific recommendations to early childhood education and parent engagement opportunities. She earned her master’s degree in social work from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from DePaul University.

Contact Natalie via email or phone at 312-376-1766 x227.

 

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