Geneva's Changing Children's Worlds Foundation continues growth

Looking to get more joy out of parenting?

How about strategies to help children succeed academically and socially?

Residents can find those answers and more at the Changing Children's Worlds Foundation, 411 Stevens St., Geneva.

The nonprofit foundation gives parents and caregivers ways to produce positive child development within homes and schools, said Kimberly Svevo-Cianci, its chairwoman and co-founder.

In September, the group will launch a weekly family program in St. Charles geared toward those with special needs children.

At the same time, the group will work with students at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn; although everyone is invited, the event will include special outreach to military veterans on campus.

To eliminate financial barriers to its programming, Svevo-Cianci said services are offered on a significant sliding scale – or free of cost – depending on income level.

“Some people have said the foundation is a hidden gem in Kane County,” Svevo-Cianci said.

The foundation’s teachings are rooted in the UNICEF and World Health Organization-recognized International Child Development Program and the Integrative Youth Development Program, she said.

Since the organization was formed in 2011, its five-member staff and multiple volunteers have worked with more than 220 parents and about 250 children.

Including the foundation’s workshops and presentations, nearly 1,300 people have been impacted by the teachings, Svevo-Cianci said.

St. Charles resident Dennis Wambangco and his family participated in the foundation’s Military Family Development Learning Group in 2014. Wambangco, his wife, Erin, son Nicholas, 4, and daughter Madelyn, 3, would have dinner together with the other families. Then adults and children would separate for discussion.

As an Illinois National Guard veteran and former police officer for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Wambangco was used to military-style discipline where problems are solved quickly and everyone is supposed to move on.

He said he learned children require more of a learning curve than adults.

“You cannot raise your kids like they’re soldiers, and that’s really hard to do,” Wambangco said. “It’s hard to separate the army and family.”

The Wambangcos used to discipline their children differently, but – after attending the learning group – they work together on how to deal with outbursts or sibling rivalry.

The participants learned to have empathy and see things from another person’s perspective, specifically from their children’s viewpoint, said Jack Erwin, a retired U.S. Army National Guard major and certified program facilitator.

Erwin, a St. Charles resident, decided to complete the facilitator training because he saw the benefits of what the foundation offered to military families and all families in general.

The groups will launch discussions from written scenarios or video clips, Erwin said. Interaction is encouraged, and children also receive a workbook that helps them learn concepts at the appropriate age level, he said.

Erwin is one of 60 facilitators trained by the foundation so far, Svevo-Cianci said.

“What we’re anticipating for 2016 is an expansion into new communities, reaching more parents, caregivers and their children,” Svevo-Cianci said.

The foundation’s budget for this year is about $300,000, including monetary and in-kind donations, she said.

The foundation will hold its Jazz in the Pavilion Fall Fundraiser on Sept. 19 at Pottawatomie Park, 8 North Ave., St. Charles. During the event, the winner of the Ultimate Playhouse raffle will be drawn to receive a 12-foot, 6-inch tall playhouse valued at more than $15,000.

Know more

For information about programs offered by the Changing Children's Worlds Foundation and how to contribute, call 630-909-9411 or visit www.changingchildrensworlds.org.