1. DEPARTMENT OF OPERATIONS
CPS Groundbreakers – A Youth Initiative Playground Program (Y.I.P.P.)
As a youth development program of City Wide Capital Operations, the CPS Groundbreakers is a major
contributor in the design and installation of new playgrounds across the CPS Property Portfolio. The program
employs Chicago Public High School students year-round, over a three year period to plan and execute all
phases of selected projects. The youth staff are recruited from neighborhoods across the City of Chicago.
Currently, our workforce comprises students from over 20 different high schools. The Groundbreakers
Program began in 2001 as the Playground Pilot Program charged with the installation of six playgrounds. To
date, youth have installed over 190 playgrounds. Inspired by the program’s history and exceptional youth-led
practices, the CPS Groundbreakers, a Youth Initiative Playground Program (Y.I.P.P.) became a direct program
of Chicago Public Schools as part of the Department of Operations’ reorganization in December of 2009.
The CPS Groundbreakers utilizes a youth-led program structure to meet Facility Operation’s objective of
ensuring that each playground project, from design through construction, provides necessary educational
enhancements to improve learning and development for CPS students. While project management and
playground installation are the core functions of the business, all program activities are designed to provide
opportunities for positive youth development.
Youth Staff administer the following business operations:
- A collaborative design process for over 15 projects
- Scheduling and facilitation of meetings with administrators, teachers and students
- Hiring Process for youth staff: processing over 1,000 applications for limited available positions;
scheduling and conducting Interviews; coordinating staffing process with CPS Human Capital
- Allocation of projects budgets totaling a yearly average of 3 million dollars
- Scope of work development and site planning
- Order of operations and installation of new playgrounds
Youth Staff manage the following programmatic elements:
- Internal departments: Human Resources, Pre-construction, Construction and Design
- Selection of peer leadership council
- Project phases, goal identification and target dates
- Short-term and long-term programmatic objectives
Youth Staff implement a mandatory peer training program:
- Establish training goals and appropriate sequence of lesson plans
- Workshop design including appropriate learning delivery methods
- Execute all components of workshop facilitation
As a team, the youth staff execute all functions of the program, ensuring that a quality product is delivered.
The CPS Groundbreakers Program serves over 15,000 CPS elementary students each year by building new,
safe, accessible and age-appropriate playground structures. Every playground installation meets or exceeds
industry standards. Need for new playgrounds is assessed on an annual basis; detailed plans are developed to
install equipment at CPS facilities in an equitable and transparent fashion. The program is constantly
exploring new ways to enhance the services provided to both the youth working within, and the youth
benefiting from the playgrounds that are installed.
All program components are managed and executed by youth in full partnership with adult staff.