Stand for Children Illinois

Stand for Children is a powerful voice for students. Our mission is to ensure that all children, regardless of their background, graduate from high school prepared for, and with access to, a college education. To date, Stand for Children’s ten state affiliates (AZ, CO, IL, IN, LA, MA, OR, TN, TX, and WA) have won more than one hundred sixty victories that have impacted the lives of millions of children, work which has included playing a key role in passing important education legislation in five states in 2010 and six states in 2011.

The Stand for Children family consists of two separate organizations—Stand for Children, a grassroots membership lobby for children exempt under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, and Stand for Children Leadership Center, a leadership development organization exempt under section 501(c)(3). Illinois also has a state Political Action Committee.

Stand for Children and the Stand for Children Leadership Center work together to:

• Educate and empower parents, teachers, and community members to demand excellent schools;
• Advocate for effective local, state, and national education policies and investments and ensure that those policies impact classrooms and students; and
• Elect courageous leaders who will stand up for our priorities.*

We believe all children deserve an equal opportunity to succeed in life. Education is the key that unlocks the door to success, but far too many children, through no fault of their own, aren’t getting the education they need to make it in life. We are passionately committed to righting this wrong.

We stand for achievement and access.

We stand for achievement by all students, through quality early childhood education, effective, empowered and supported teachers and principals, engaged families with high expectations, and other strategies that provide students the tailored instruction and support they need to graduate high school ready for college.

We stand for access to high quality schools for all students, especially students in poverty, students of color, and students learning English. To expand access to all students, we advocate for effective educational leadership at all levels, sufficient and effectively spent school funding, and clear, accurate information about how schools are performing for parents, educators, and the community. We believe all children deserve an equal opportunity to succeed in life. Education is the key that unlocks the door to success, but far too many children, through no fault of their own, aren’t getting the education they need to make it in life. We are passionately committed to righting this wrong.