Jessica Fong is the Director of Education at Openlands, where she leads the Education team in coordinating and planning programs for both educators and students. Her work includes overseeing programs such as the Birds in My Neighborhood® and Space to Grow® programs.
Jessica’s teaching journey began in her native Guatemala in 2007, and after returning to Chicago, she became deeply committed to nature-based learning and dual language education. She believes these approaches can enhance learning for young children and their families in underserved communities. Before joining Openlands, Jessica taught at Chicago Public Schools (CPS). In the 2017-2018 school year, she was awarded the Chicago Fund for Teachers Fellowship (CFE) and the Action Research Leadership Institute Fellowship (ARLI), where she studied the impact of nature play on the language development of young children.
Jessica is the president of the City of Chicago Native and Pollinator Garden Registry Board and serves as a Board Member for NeighborSpace, a nonprofit urban land trust in Chicago. She is also the lead of the steering committee for the McKinley Community Play Garden. Jessica holds two Master’s degrees: one in Early Childhood Education from DePaul University and the other in Dual Language and Teacher Leadership from Roosevelt University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Sustainability at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.
Contact Information
- Email: jfong@openlands.org
- Phone: 312.863.6264
