W.I.S.E. Up! Session for 5th and 6th Graders

26sep9:15 am11:30 amW.I.S.E. Up! Session for 5th and 6th Graders

Event Details

W.I.S.E. UP!® empowers children in adoptive families to embrace their stories with confidence and pride. Through engaging activities and supportive dialogue, the program creates a safe space where youth build self-awareness, resilience, and communication skills to navigate questions about their families and experiences and prepare them for intrusive questions and insensitive remarks from peers and others:

“Why don’t you look like your parents?”
“How much did you cost?”
“Where are your real parents?”

The Cradle is proud to be the only organization in Illinois trained to facilitate this program that helps every child find their voice and share their story – on their own terms. Developed by the Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE), W.I.S.E. Up! gives kids the tools to answer when questions inevitably begin.

The Cradle’s W.I.S.E. Up! sessions are open to all families. Siblings are not included in the session and babysitting is not provided. Please arrive by 9:15 a.m. for check in.

Space is limited to 15 children. At least one parent or guardian must be in attendance.

Primary Parent Name(Required)

First

Last

This parent will be in attendance

Secondary Parent Name

First

Last

This parent will be in attendance

Child's Name(Required)

First

Last

If you have more than one child to register, please complete a new registration form for each child.

Child's Date of Birth(Required)

Is your child in 5th or 6th grade?(Required)

Yes

Was your child's adoption through The Cradle?(Required)

Yes

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Address(Required)

Street Address

Address Line 2

City

State / Province / Region

ZIP / Postal Code

Country

Is there anything you would like the facilitators to know about your child or the adoption process beforehand?

OPTIONAL: Research Opportunity

Emily Helder, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Hope College, is working in partnership with CASE to evaluate the impact of W.I.S.E. Up! for youth and families. Workshop participants have the option to join her study. Participation would involve children and their parents completing a brief online questionnaire before and after the workshop, receiving a monthly email with a W.I.S.E. Up! discussion prompt that can be used at home during the 6 months after the workshop, and repeating the initial questionnaire at the end of those 6 months. The results from families participating in this project across multiple sites will be combined to better understand the impact of W.I.S.E. Up! and further support adopted and fostered youth and their families with effective programming. For further details and to ask questions, contact Dr. Helder (helder@hope.edu).

I consent to participating in this research opportunity (optional)

OPTIONAL: Consent to Share Contact Information

I would like my contact information included in a shared list for participating families who wish to stay connected following the session (optional)

W.I.S.E. Up! Workshop(Required)

Price:

Only purchase a registration slot for your child. Parents are included. If you need to register more than one child, please complete a new registration form for them.

Total

Credit Card

Time

September 26, 2026 9:15 am - 11:30 am(GMT-05:00)

Location

The Cradle

2049 Ridge Avenue

Other Events

I'm Pregnant

Adoption Services

Counseling, Education & Training

I'm Pregnant

Adoption Services

Counseling, Education & Training

W.I.S.E. Up! Session for 5th and 6th Graders

Event Details

Event Details

Time

Location

Get Directions

Unplanned Pregnancy?

Adoptive Families & General Inquiries

Join Our List