It Takes A Village Family of Schools (ITAV), in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), is pleased to announce a new COVID-19 testing initiative taking place at ITAV schools around Chicago. While many educational facilities have struggled with COVID-19 outbreaks amid the absence of availability of vaccinations for children or citywide standards for testing, ITAV is now partnering with UIC to take on the challenge of preventing COVID-19 breakouts within schools.
This new initiative is part of a study led by Renee Taylor, professor and associate dean for academic affairs at the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences, that is funded by a $1.2 million grant from the Walder Foundation’s Chicago Coronavirus Assessment Network (Chicago CAN) initiative as well as a Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) grant from the National Institutes of Health. ITAV will be instrumental in assisting UIC better understand the factors associated with disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, specifically in childcare centers. ITAV teachers and staff are now being provided regular testing for the COVID-19 virus at all ITAV sites, and are being incentivized for their participation in prevention. Together through this effort, ITAV and UIC are building a pilot program of COVID-19 prevention and mitigation in education settings, as well as are promoting health equity for families during a time of crisis.
Currently there is no standard for testing teachers and staff for COVID-19 in schools or early learning centers across Chicago; likewise, none are known nationally. This is while young children under 12 cannot be vaccinated, and the extent of their roles as carriers of the virus is still yet to be determined. Crucial research is still needed in this area, and staff at It Takes A Village Family of Schools are proud to be able to participate as data points for this investigation at such a critical time.
Photo of Dr. Renee Taylor and the UIC COVID-19 testing team at ITAV Headquarters
Photographed by Christina Feliciano, ITAV Family Support Specialist
