About us

Founded in 2009, the Naperville Youth Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that envisions a future where all children in our community—regardless of the systemic issues they face—develop the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes needed to thrive.

Gaps in academic outcomes persist

The academic landscape across the community served by the Naperville Youth Club (e.g. Naperville, Aurora, West Chicago, Wheaton, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, etc.) reflects both strong district‑level performance and persistent inequities that limit opportunity for many children. While districts like Naperville 203, Naperville 204, and Wheaton CUSD 200 consistently outperform state averages, each continues to show significant achievement gaps for Black, Hispanic, English‑learner, and low‑income students. Surrounding communities—including Aurora, North Aurora, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, and West Chicago—face even steeper challenges, with lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math and higher concentrations of economic disadvantage. Together, these patterns highlight a regional reality: strong schools and high‑performing districts coexist with systemic barriers that disproportionately affect marginalized families, underscoring the need for targeted academic, social, and community‑based supports.

View the latest academic outcomes for the cities in our community.

Thriving in a world that wont slow down

Children today are growing up in a world shaped by rapid technological change, global competition, climate pressures, economic inequality, shifting job markets, and rising cultural complexity—forces that make future success harder to predict and prepare for. They will need a set of knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that help them adapt, thrive, and shape the future rather than simply react to it.

View the latest research on the future economic outlook for our kids.

Everyone has the potential to be a catalyst

Naperville Youth Club prepares young people to thrive in an increasingly complex world by delivering academic enrichment programs that cultivate a way of thinking that sees possibility where others see limits and turns ideas into momentum. Catalysts don’t wait for permission or perfect conditions; they innovate, lead, and create opportunity for themselves and their communities.

Our curriculum develops these qualities through an integrated focus on STEM and English, empowering students to become problem‑solvers who spark progress at every level. Rooted in the legacy of Each One Teach One—a tradition born when enslaved people, denied education, taught one another to read—our approach honors the power of shared knowledge, community uplift, and leadership through service. Like the first ripple that expands into waves of change, our students learn to become catalysts whose impact spreads far beyond the classroom.

We deliver Big Gains and Bigger Dreams

Our 2025 Coding to Learn STEM Summer Camp had an amazing season! With 33 students and over 450 hours of learning, campers boosted their skills in a big way—92% growth in coding and 97.3% growth in math. Students dove into laptops, robots, drones, coding books, academic workbooks, and PSAT prep materials while completing daily assessments and receiving end‑of‑summer evaluations from instructors. One returning 3rd‑grader even told us this is the only camp he ever wants to attend—and he’s determined to come back until he can teach coding himself! Moments like that remind us why this program matters. Thank you to our families, partners, and staff for helping us build a space where kids learn, create, and thrive.

Board Officers

Board President

Amauri DaRocha

Board Vice President

Jerry Richmond

Board Treasurer

Brandon Akins

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Board Directors

Board Director

Dr. Vera Fullard

(President Emeritus)

Board Director

Judge Sherri Hale

Board Director

Jason Jarka

Board Director

Cheryl Stanton

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