Find your kid’s people.
Find yours, too.
A member-driven community connecting gifted kids and their parents with the events, resources, and understanding that’s hard to find anywhere else.
- Plan an eventA kids’ meetup built around a special interest, or a parent night for stories, support, and connection.
- We handle the logisticsRegistration, payment, marketing, and event insurance, all covered.
- Grow the networkWe connect kids who share the same interests, and parents who get what you’re going through.
Built by parents, for the whole family.
Chicago Gifted Community Center is a member-driven nonprofit created by parents who needed what didn’t exist yet: a place where the intellectual and emotional needs of gifted kids are understood, not explained away.
We support families across the city and suburbs with kids’ events built around their interests, parent gatherings, seminars, book clubs, and a network of professionals who work with gifted and twice-exceptional learners every day. If you can’t find a group near you, we’ll help you start one.
Three ways we show up for families.
Connect
Kids’ meetups around shared interests, parent nights, and book clubs that turn strangers into your kid’s people, and yours.
Support
Parenting-gifted seminars, mental health resources, and a directory of professionals fluent in asynchronous development.
Grow
Registration, marketing, and event insurance, so any parent can launch a program in their own corner of Chicagoland.
Upcoming CGCC events
Events CGCC runs for members and families. Looking for more? See community events from other organizers on the Programs page.
Recent posts
Creating connections. Creating community.
An all-volunteer network of parents and professionals, in Chicago and the suburbs.
Membership starts at $35 a year.
Dues fund the network, not a building. Every dollar goes back into events, insurance, and support for local organizers.
Not ready to join? Come to an event first.
Many of our kids’ and parent events are open to newcomers, so you can see if CGCC is a fit before you join.
A community parents built because it didn’t exist yet.
Chicago Gifted Community Center is a member-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting the intellectual and emotional growth of gifted children and their families, in the city and across the suburbs.
Connection first, everything else follows.
CGCC exists so parents of gifted kids stop feeling like they’re figuring it out alone. We create events for parents and children, make connections, and help families find their tribe, local resources, and others who understand what giftedness actually requires.
Our approach starts small on purpose. It begins with one event, planned around what local families need: a kids’ meetup built on a shared special interest, a parent night for stories and support, a book club, or a full parenting-gifted seminar series. From there, CGCC mentors organizers through the rest.
- We provide registration and payment handling for every event
- We cover marketing, communications, and event insurance
- We connect new organizers into an existing network of gifted families and professionals
Events across six regions, so nothing is too far away.
Chicagoland is big. We spread events across the region so families aren’t stuck driving 50 miles or sitting in rush-hour traffic to get there.
All members are welcome at events in any region.
Benefits of being part of CGCC.
Event hosting, handled
Registration, payment handling, and marketing are already built. You just show up with the idea.
Event insurance included
Organizers run local events without carrying the liability themselves.
A peer network that gets it
Parent dinners and book clubs connect you with families who understand asynchronous development firsthand.
A professional directory
Find therapists, educators, and specialists experienced with gifted and twice-exceptional kids.
Member resources, curated
Local gifted resources, summer programs, homeschool and enrichment ideas, gathered by parents.
Mentorship to start your own group
No group near you? We’ll walk you through launching one.
Volunteer parents and professionals who run CGCC.
Tabitha Flax
PresidentNorth Suburbs
Michelle Smith
Vice PresidentGrayslake
Pamela Shaw
Treasurer · Social Media EditorFar North Suburbs
Anna Onley
SecretaryChicago
Aileen Kelleher
Board memberChicago
Carole Jones
Past President · Volunteer ManagerNaperville
All volunteer-run. Member-supported.
CGCC relies on annual memberships and donations to cover web operations, registration, event insurance, and background checks for organizers.
From dinner-table conversations to a full seminar series.
Every CGCC program starts the same way: local parents deciding what their kids need, then building it together.
Ways to get involved.
Parent dinners
Informal dinners where local parents connect and figure out what their community needs next.
Find a dinner →Start a book club
Want to read and talk with other parents of gifted and 2e kids? We’ll help you get a group going.
Start a book club →Parenting gifted seminars
Sessions on the topics that come up again and again: school advocacy, twice-exceptionality, motivation.
See seminars →Professional member events
Sessions built for educators, psychologists, and clinicians who work with gifted students.
Professional events →Community events
Talks, classes and meetups for gifted and 2e families, hosted by other organizations.
See community events →Full CGCC calendar
Every upcoming event across every region, in one place.
Open the calendar →Upcoming CGCC events
Run by CGCC volunteers. Register right here on our site.
Community events
Hosted by other organizations and shared because our families may find them useful. Details and registration are on each host’s site.
Don’t see your area on the calendar?
We’ll help you plan an event in your own community, for kids, for parents, or both.
Thirty-five dollars a year funds the whole network.
Membership isn’t a subscription to content. It’s a stake in a community that runs on volunteers and shows up for your family.
For parents & caregivers
Gifted children and their parents and siblings, all in one membership.
- Free or discounted access to CGCC events
- Family member directory to find connections near you
- Local gifted resources, summer programs, and enrichment ideas
- Homeschooling and enrichment resource library
For educators & clinicians
For professionals and providers who understand the unique needs of gifted individuals.
- Listing in the professional member directory
- Access to professional member events
- Connection to families looking for your specialty
- Opportunities to present at parenting-gifted sessions
For friends of CGCC
For individuals who want to support gifted families and the CGCC mission.
- Keeps events affordable for families
- Funds insurance and background checks for organizers
- Invitations to community events
Memberships renew yearly, automatically or manually, your choice. Questions? Email us
Membership FAQ.
Any parent, caregiver, or professional connected to a gifted child is welcome, whether your child is formally identified or you’re still exploring what giftedness means for your family.
Free or discounted access to events, plus member-only resources: the family member directory, local gifted resources, summer programs, and homeschooling and enrichment ideas.
Yes. Many of our kids’ and parent events are open to newcomers, so you can see if CGCC is a fit before you join.
Plan an event around what families near you want: a kids’ meetup built on a shared interest, or a parent night for support and connection. CGCC provides registration, payment handling, marketing, and event insurance so you can focus on the people in the room.
CGCC is entirely volunteer-run. Dues go to programs and infrastructure: web site operations, the registration system, event insurance, and background checks for organizers.
Not ready to commit? Start with an event.
Come to a kids’ or parent event first. There’s no pressure to join.
Everything we’ve learned, in one place.
Reading lists, professional referrals, school profiles, and years of parent-written articles on raising a gifted kid.
Member resources
Guides, directories, and tools reserved for CGCC members.
Members area →Professional directory
Therapists, educators, and specialists experienced in gifted development.
Find a professional →Articles & blog
Research, seminar recaps, and opportunities shared by our community.
Read the blog →School profiles
Parent notes on how local schools support gifted learners.
Browse profiles →Gifted books
A running list of what other CGCC parents actually recommend.
See the list →Mental health & the gifted
Understanding the emotional side of asynchronous development.
Learn more →Summer programsMembers
Local and online summer options worth a look for gifted kids.
Plan the summer →Homeschool & enrichmentMembers
Ideas by subject, local co-ops, and institutions offering enrichment classes.
Explore ideas →Webinar recordingsMembers
Missed a session? Catch up on past CGCC webinars.
Watch recordings →Recent posts
Get more out of these resources.
Some resources are members-only. Membership starts at $35 a year and opens up the full library and directories.
CGCC runs on volunteers. It keeps running on donors.
We’re an all-volunteer 501(c)(3). Every gift goes straight to keeping events affordable and organizers supported.
Make a gift.
What your donation actually covers.
Web site operations
Hosting, membership software, and the calendar that keeps every region organized.
Registration system
The tools that let any parent open an event and start collecting RSVPs.
Event insurance
Coverage so volunteer organizers never carry the liability of hosting themselves.
Background checks
Screening for anyone organizing events involving children.
Want to give year-round?
A Supporting membership is $35 a year and keeps the whole network running.