Crafting Child Policy
Northwestern University undergraduates spent 10 weeks wrestling with some of the most complex challenges in early childhood education before presenting policy recommendations to the Office of the Mayor of Chicago and leading experts in the field.
The students were part of Crafting Child Policy, an innovative course offered by Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy in partnership with the Early Childhood Research Alliance of Chicago (EC*REACH). The course tasks undergraduates with developing data-driven, evidence-based policy recommendations based on real-world questions posed by city leaders.
“It was an unforgettable experience,” said Adelle Johnson, a student in the course. “It offered a rare, in-person look into the inner workings of education policy in Chicago and gave me a taste of the ups and downs of the policymaking process.”
Led by Associate Professor Terri Sabol at the School of Education and Social Policy and faculty co-director of EC*REACH, the course exposes students to key challenges facing children and families—from preschool absenteeism and lead exposure to teacher retention and kindergarten readiness.
“The goal was to align the vision for our youngest children across the state, and particularly here in Chicago,” said Sabol, a faculty fellow at Northwestern's Institute for Policy Research. “We know that when we invest early, we see tremendous impact in outcomes. Children serve as a barometer of community well-being.”
Students worked in small teams to research national models, interview stakeholders and analyze data before presenting their final recommendations to a panel of professionals, including:
- Cristina Pacione-Zayas, chief of staff, Office of the Mayor of Chicago
- Candace Moore, director of early learning, Office of the Mayor of Chicago
- Leslie McKinily, chief early childhood education officer, Chicago Public Schools
- Elliott Regenstein, partner, Foresight Law + Policy
- John Q. Easton, interim executive director, EC*Reach
Chicago's first early childhood research hub
The students’ work was guided by community input collected through EC*REACH’s collaborative process. Last year, the organization gathered feedback from nearly 50 local educators, parents, advocates and policymakers to identify four key areas of need:
- Children’s learning and development
- Children’s and families’ health and wellness
- Early childhood workforce expertise, stability and well-being
- Systemwide support across the early childhood ecosystem
“The process teaches students how evidence-based decision-making works—and how complicated it can be,” Sabol said. “They offer a fresh perspective to issues that professionals in the field have been grappling with for years.”
Weinberg College freshman Anagha Menon said the course fundamentally changed how she views research and policy—and inspired her to join a lab focused on real-world impact.
“I didn’t realize how many stakeholders have to work together to implement policy, especially for children,” she said. “I also learned how critical the early years are—not just for education, but for lifelong health, development and economic outcomes.”
Student Presenters and Projects
- Afterschool Social Emotional Learning Adventures in Preschool
Jonathan Wei, Katrina Rose Alban, Samantha Gerber - Supporting Families with Diverse Learners and Students with Disabilities
Emma Manley, Julia Narvaez Munguia, Adrian Ayala-Perez - Parental Interventions to Improve Preschoolers’ Language Development
Drew Wright, Isha Bhardwaj, Alan Schneider, Kaprice Daniels - Expanding 211 Healthcare Navigation Services
Anagha Menon, Andrew Onema, Aimee Resnick, Gloria Kabale - Improving Birth Outcomes for Lead-Vulnerable Communities
Asha Buerk, Jackson Gordwin, Pari Gaddam, Rhea Viswanathan - Promoting Family Nutrition and Health Through a WIC and Head Start Collaboration
Abigail Freymann, Olivia O'Loughlin, Rachel Aluko, Madeline Huang - Supporting Parent and Child Mental Health
Anna Dai, Sammy Finkelstein, Will Wu, Tebelechi Ketema - Improving Pre-K Teacher Retention Through Coaching
Adelle Johnson, Denzel Higiro, Noelle Robinson, Valerie Lippin