Meet Our After School Team
Our After School team brings together experienced educators, CPS professionals, future teachers, college and high school students, coaches, and childcare professionals who genuinely enjoy being part of kids’ lives.
These are some of the faces your family will see most often at Fit & Fun After School.
Our Commitment to Safety
Every member of our After School team completes a federal background check and is CPR and First Aid certified or actively completing their certification or renewal.
Family Room + Fit & Fun locations are licensed Children’s Activity Facilities with the City of Chicago, and Family Room is an approved Chicago Public Schools (CPS) vendor.
Our team works together to create an after-school environment that is safe, welcoming, active, and fun—where kids can decompress after school, build friendships, try new things, and have some independence while still being supported by caring adults.
Meet Decha
Psychology Student • Youth Mentor • Restorative Justice Experience
Decha came to Chicago from Ipswich, Massachusetts to pursue her B.S. in Psychology at Loyola University Chicago. She is especially interested in how children learn, develop confidence, and become more independent over time.
Her work with students extends beyond Family Room. Through Loyola’s Refugee Coalition and her work as a restorative justice intern with FORA, Decha has supported students while developing her own skills as an educator and mentor. Coming from a family of refugees herself, she has a personal appreciation for the opportunities education can create and is passionate about helping young people recognize their own potential.
Decha hopes to become a Clinical Psychologist and continue working with organizations serving refugee communities.
One of her favorite parts of working with kids is watching their confidence and enthusiasm grow over time. Outside of school and work, Decha loves reading and making jewelry.
Meet Isabella
UIC Student • Family Room Team Member • Lakeview East Native
Isabella is a student at the University of Illinois Chicago, a Lakeview East native, and the oldest of four siblings—so being around younger kids has long been part of her everyday life.
Children and families have also been an important part of Isabella’s professional experience. She has worked with families at Family Room for more than a year and has additional experience working at American Girl. Her mom works as a SECA at Inter-American Elementary School, giving Isabella another close connection to the elementary school community.
Growing up in the neighborhood and as a big sister to three younger brothers, Isabella brings an easygoing, relatable energy to After School and genuinely enjoys getting to know our kids.
Meet Kight
Paraprofessional Experience • Psychology & Arts Background • Youth Support
Kight brings several years of experience supporting children in elementary school and educational settings, along with a patient, dependable, and encouraging presence to our After School team.
Before joining Family Room + Fit & Fun, Kight worked as a Paraprofessional Educator at Cheviot Elementary School and as an Instructional Assistant with Western Nursing Services. In these roles, he supported students with a wide range of learning styles and individual needs, led small-group activities, helped children navigate conflicts, reinforced positive behavior, and worked to create safe and inclusive environments where kids could learn and grow.
Kight is currently continuing his education at Columbia College Chicago and previously attended Columbus College of Art and Design. His background in both education and the arts brings a creative, thoughtful approach to connecting with kids and supporting them throughout their after-school day.
At Fit & Fun After School, Kight helps make the transition from school to afternoon activities feel welcoming, organized, and fun—encouraging independence, friendships, movement, creativity, and plenty of time to just be kids.
Meet Kennedi
CPS SECA • Future Early Childhood Educator • Basketball Coach
Ms. Kennedi brings nearly five years of experience as a SECA at Nettelhorst Elementary School to the Fit & Fun After School team and is currently pursuing her degree in Early Childhood Education.
She is also a basketball coach, combining her classroom experience with a love of movement, teamwork, encouragement, and helping kids build confidence.
Ms. Kennedi is excited to be part of the Family Room family and brings both the perspective of an experienced school professional and the energy of a coach to our afternoons together.
Meet Cansondra
CPS SECA • Future Elementary Educator • Classroom Experience
Cansondra Fitzpatrick brings professional classroom experience to our After School team as a Chicago Public Schools SECA.
She is also continuing her own education and pursuing an advanced degree in Elementary Education at National Louis University. Her combination of hands-on experience in CPS classrooms and formal study of elementary education gives her a strong understanding of how to support school-age children academically, socially, and emotionally.
At Fit & Fun After School, Cansondra brings the experience of an educator along with a warm, supportive approach to helping kids transition from the structure of the school day into their afternoon with us.
Meet Angelique
10+ Years Childcare • Early Childhood Instructor • Professional Nanny
Angelique brings more than 10 years of childcare experience to the Fit & Fun After School team, working with children from infancy through the elementary school years. A professional nanny, early childhood instructor, and former preschool and STEM educator, she brings a deep understanding of how to create environments where kids feel safe, engaged, and confident.
Through her own business, Angelique Children Services, Angelique creates and leads interactive classes for toddlers through early elementary-aged children, combining books, science, sensory play, art, music, and movement. Her previous experience also includes working as a Lead Preschool Teacher and as a STEM instructor and camp counselor with Noggin Builders.
Angelique is especially skilled at creating engaging, developmentally appropriate activities while balancing the routines and structure kids need. She also has experience supporting children with a wide range of individual needs.
At Fit & Fun After School, Angelique brings creativity, experience, and a genuine love of working with children—whether she’s helping with homework, leading an activity, encouraging kids to try something new, or simply making sure they feel comfortable and cared for at the end of their school day.
Meet Cían
Psychology Student • Child Development • Youth Support
Cían is a dedicated childcare professional and a junior at DePaul University, where they are pursuing a degree in Psychology.
Cían is especially passionate about helping children build confidence and feel supported as they learn, try new things, and grow. Their studies in psychology bring additional insight into child development and emotional well-being, while their calm, compassionate approach helps create an environment where kids feel comfortable being themselves.
At Fit & Fun After School, Cían brings patience, positivity, and genuine enthusiasm for helping kids have a great afternoon.
Meet Tess
Family Room Team Member • Student Athlete • Team Captain
Tess is a high school sophomore who has been part of the Family Room team for almost two years. She has several years of babysitting experience and plenty of real-life practice with kids as an older sister to two younger siblings.
An athlete and natural team leader, Tess is captain of her basketball team and also plays soccer. Those experiences have helped her develop strong leadership, teamwork, and communication skills that carry directly into her work with younger kids.
Tess loves being active, spending time outdoors, and coming up with activities that keep kids moving and engaged. At Fit & Fun After School, she brings the kind of energetic, big-sister presence that makes it easy for kids to jump in, play, and have fun.
Meet Kimberly
Founder & CEO • Chicago Mom • After School Parent
Kimberly Brown is the Founder and CEO of Family Room Chicago—and, just as importantly to our After School families, a neighborhood mom whose own children are in kindergarten and third grade and attend Fit & Fun After School alongside yours.
Before trading the boardroom for the playroom, Kimberly built her career in corporate leadership, marketing, innovation, and education. A Northwestern University alum, entrepreneur, and longtime education and community volunteer, she has served in leadership roles supporting organizations including the Nettelhorst PTO, The Tween Esteem Project, Northwestern University’s Alumni Association, and Chicago’s 1871.
Kimberly founded Family Room because she believed city families needed something that was surprisingly hard to find: safe, welcoming, genuinely useful neighborhood spaces built around the realities of raising kids. She has since grown that idea into multiple Family Room locations and programs serving Chicago families.
Fit & Fun After School is especially personal. Kimberly isn’t designing a program from a distance—her own kids come here after school, too. She approaches the program as both its owner and one of its parents, with the same questions and expectations our families have about safety, communication, independence, friendships, activities, and whether kids actually want to come back tomorrow.
You’ll see Kimberly around After School regularly—talking with families, checking in with the team, solving problems, and very likely being interrupted by one of her own kids.
Where Kids Play and Grownups Relax.™
At Fit & Fun After School, we believe the hours after school should feel different from the hours kids just spent in a classroom.
There is time for activities and homework, but also time to move, create, make friends, decompress, make choices, and play. Our team is here to provide the structure and support that makes that independence possible—and to make After School a place kids are genuinely happy to come to.