About
About
Catherine Cook School is a vibrant learning community that fosters curiosity, develops critical thinking, and inspires compassionate leadership for students in preschool through 8th grade.

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Admission
Admission
With an average student/teacher ratio of 9:1, we are a community of learners where students and families are known by name.

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Academics
Academics
Blending traditional learning approaches with successful developmental research and practice, we deliver a well-rounded, challenging curriculum that emphasizes hands-on learning activities.

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Community
Community
When you step through our doors you will immediately experience the warm and energetic learning environment at The Catherine Cook School.

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Campus Life
Campus Life
Our goal is to provide a safe environment and a variety of enrichment experiences for our students including music instruction, after school adventures, athletics, clubs, and academic teams.

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Alumni
Alumni
We strive to consistently reinforce to our community of Alumni that they will forever be valued members of the Catherine Cook family.

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Giving
Giving
The spirit of giving is a vitally important part of Catherine Cook -- and expressed every day in the actions of our community, making a Catherine Cook education extraordinary.

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Resources for Racism and Current Events

As we process the recent senseless killings of Black/African American people and the resulting protests, members of the Catherine Cook community may be wondering how to talk with kids about these topics, how to better educate ourselves on racism and injustice, and how to take action. Below, please find a list of resources to help educate yourself and your kids and guide these conversations.

Talking to Your Kids

George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. What do we tell our children? (USA Today, May 2020)
How to talk to your children about protests and racism (CNN, May 2020)
Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners: Books for Children and Young Adults (Common Sense Media)
Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup (Pretty Good Design)

Adult Learning

Understanding Race and Privilege (National Association of School Psychologists)
Identity Matters: Parents' and Educators' Perceptions of Children's Social Identity Development (Sesame Workshop, 2019)
A Tale of Three Cities: The State of Racial Justice in Chicago Report (UIC Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy, 2017)
How to Be an Antiracist (Kendi, 2019)
Whistling Vivaldi (Steele, 2011)
Between the World and Me (Coates, 2015)
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race (Tatum, 2017)
Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race (Irving, 2014)
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (DiAngelo, 2018)
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (Stevenson, 2015)
So You Want to Talk About Race (Oluo, 2018)
Podcasts
- Code Switch (NPR)
- 1619 (New York Times)
- Pod for the Cause (The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights)
13th (Netflix)

Taking Action

Tips for Creating Effective White Caucus Groups (Elliott, 2016)
We Are Done Dying (NAACP)
10 Things Allies Can Do (YWCA)
State of Racial Justice in Chicago: Partners and Resources (UIC Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy)