Grow Your Own Northern
We See the Teacher in You. Become One.
The NIU College of Education is a proud partner and consortia member of Grow Your Own Illinois in an expanded effort to inspire and recruit individuals from underrepresented communities to join the teaching profession in Illinois.
Grow Your Own Northern (GYO Northern) at Northern Illinois University supports our College of Education’s PLEDGE (Partnering to Lead and Empower District-grown Educators) program. GYO Northern partners with school districts and community organizations in northern Illinois to address critical teacher shortages in high-need areas including ESL/bilingual education, special education, elementary education and middle level education.
A key focus of GYO Northern is supporting paraprofessionals and other non-licensed district employees who already serve students and have strong connections to the students, families and communities they support.
Becoming a licensed teacher is possible no matter one's professional or academic starting point. We can help you become a teacher.
New Cohort: GYO Northern and DeKalb D428
NIU and DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 invite you to learn more about our upcoming GYO Northern Teacher Preparation Program. Our innovative partnership is designed to help dedicated paraprofessionals, instructional assistants and other D428 school employees earn their teaching license while continuing to serve their local community.
Program Benefits
Participants may be eligible for:
- Tuition assistance through grant funding, when available.
- Assistance with books and required educational materials.
- Individualized academic advising and degree planning.
- Evening and community-based classes designed for working professionals.
- Mentoring from experienced teachers and NIU faculty.
- Academic tutoring and ongoing support throughout the program.
- A cohort model providing encouragement and collaboration with fellow candidates.
- Opportunities to complete clinical experiences within D428.
Our goal is to remove barriers and provide the support you need to become a highly qualified Special Education teacher while continuing to serve the students and families in our community.
Who Should Apply?
We invite individuals who:
- Are currently employed by DeKalb CUSD 428
- Enjoy working with children
- Have a passion for education and serving their community
- Are interested in earning an Illinois Professional Educator License
Whether you are just beginning your college journey or already have completed coursework, we will work with you to develop an individualized plan toward teacher licensure.
Next Steps
Please fill out our cohort interest application. Please contact our GYO Program Coordinator, Jennifer Johnson, at jjohnson41@niu.edu, if you have any questions.
Cohort Spotlight: Rockford RISE
Thanks in large part to a planning grant received from Grow Your Own Illinois (GYO-IL), the Northern Illinois University College of Education and Rockford Public Schools (RPS) partnered for the benefit of Rockford residents wishing to earn their bachelor's degrees in Elementary Education from NIU.
Grants received from Grow Your Own Illinois help universities such as NIU to recruit, support and encourage community members who are committed to classroom teaching and want to stay in their home communities.
Our planning grant from GYO-IL included Rockford Public Schools, Rock Valley College, YMCA of Rock River Valley and Wabongo Leadership Council as our core partners and led to the creation of the RISE (Rockford Inspiring School and Community Excellence) initiative.
Eighteen trailblazing RPS paraprofessionals graduated in May 2026, earning praise from Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara.
“You've chosen to grow here, to learn here and to give back right here in Rockford,” the mayor told the future teachers at their completion ceremony. “Thank you for that commitment to our community. Rockford is better because of you and our future will be brighter because of all your efforts. We believe in you, and we are grateful.”
Building the RISE program included convening focus groups with RPS students, parents and teachers; Rock Valley College faculty and students; and community leaders to collect information about what Rockford needs to support its schools, families and educators, which produced a collaborative planning process.
Once eligible students enrolled, GYO-IL grant dollars paid for gap courses the students needed to fulfill before beginning their NIU curriculum. The organization's funding also used purchased course materials, textbooks and Chromebooks, sponsoring the cohort through graduation.
Student Testimonials
Erica Hernandez
Johnson Elementary School
"I’m definitely more confident in my abilities. I feel like I was a little shy when I first got in front of the children but now I feel totally natural and comfortable. I’m so excited that I was given this opportunity because if I didn’t have it totally paid for, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.”
Roberto Davila
Riverdahl Elementary School
"My whole entire life, I never saw myself in a position like this, but being there, and experiencing it, and being a teacher who someone looks up to? Being that positive role model in their life and someone outside of their home they can trust? It feels great."
Shawaun Gordon
SOAR Academy
"The main thing that I’ve definitely improved on is knowing how to keep the students engaged and to make teaching fun. I don’t want my students to come to school and feel that this is just ‘a job.’ I want it to be loving and fun while learning. I’ve become more responsible, more patient. I see it myself when I’m talking to my son. I’m talking like a teacher. It’s in me now.”