West 40 Intermediate Service Center No. 2

What West 40 Intermediate Service Center No. 2 does

West 40 Intermediate Service Center No. 2 (West40 ISC #2) is a public, state-funded educational service agency established under Illinois school code to serve the West Cook County region. Operating from its headquarters at 415 Lexington Street in Maywood and a secondary campus at St. Joseph in Westchester, the organization delivers a multi-module portfolio to 41 district and co-op partners and their communities, including the Alternative Learning Opportunities Program (ALOP) serving approximately 3,000 students in grades K-12+, the free EmpowerED professional learning series, Administrator Academies, Continuous School Improvement services, McKinney-Vento homeless education support, school safety and threat assessment, and the West40 Testing Center for educator licensure exams. Community-facing programs include the Heart 2 Heart Food Mart, the SCOTY student awards, the BackPack GiveBack, and the new StitchED student-powered embroidery studio.

The underlying technology stack is operationally focused rather than product-oriented: West40 uses LearnPlatform for student data privacy contract management under SOPPA/FERPA/COPPA/CIPA, and partners with Rush University to produce VR career exploration content such as 'Step into Scrubs.' Compliance and digital accessibility initiatives target ADA and WCAG 2.1 AA conformance by April 2026. There is no proprietary software product or commercial SaaS offering; technology serves internal program delivery and regulatory compliance.

West40 is a government state entity rather than a commercial business. Its revenue model combines Illinois state appropriations (managed services funding) with formal service agreements and grants from the 41 partner districts (professional services funding). The pricing model is predominantly freemium: EmpowerED professional development, the Illinois School Safety Conference (drawing approximately 1,000 attendees annually), BackPack GiveBack, and core advocacy services are offered at no incremental cost to partner districts. Some grants and contract-funded programs (e.g., St. Joseph residential school development) draw on external philanthropic and DCFS-related support. Customer segments include K-12 students (primary), educators and administrators (primary), families and communities (secondary), and school safety personnel (secondary).

Name

West 40 Intermediate Service Center No. 2

Legal name

West40 Intermediate Service Center No. 2

Website

https://west40.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

West 40 Intermediate Service Center No. 2 is a state-funded Illinois Intermediate Service Center delivering student advocacy, professional learning, compliance, school safety, and community programs to 41 school district and co-op partners across West Cook County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Education Staffing & Contracted Providers (Paras, Therapists, Specialists) (EDAJAKAL), Special Education (IEP/504) & Student Support Case Management (EDAFAEAI), Compliance, Risk & Audit Support Services (EHS, Title IX/Clery Support, Policy Admin) (EDAEALAK)

Keywords

• Educational support services
• Student advocacy programs
• Professional development for educators
• School safety training
• Regional education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Maywood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. State of Illinois Funding: Funded by the state of Illinois as an Intermediate Service Center to provide educational support services to school districts.
2. School District Service Contracts: Funded by the school districts served in West Cook County through formal service agreements for professional learning, compliance support, and student programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

West40 Intermediate Service Center No. 2 is a state-funded Regional Office of Education that delivers student advocacy programs (ALOP), professional learning for educators and administrators, school safety and threat assessment services, regulatory compliance support, and community resource programs to 41 school districts in West Cook County, Illinois. Its offerings are delivered through on-site staff in schools, the EmpowerED free professional development series, the annual Illinois School Safety Conference, and programs such as the Heart 2 Heart Food Mart and StitchED student embroidery studio.

Product overview

West40 ISC #2 is an educational service agency providing comprehensive support to school districts in West Cook County, Illinois. The organization operates as a multi-module platform offering student advocacy programs (ALOP serving grades K-12+), professional learning services (Administrator Academies, EmpowerED series, Continuous School Improvement), educational compliance services, and community support initiatives. Key products include the annual Illinois School Safety Conference, School Safety and Threat Assessment Services, the StitchED student embroidery studio, SCOTY Awards, and the Shine magazine. The organization also manages the St. Joseph campus for foster children and operates community programs including the Heart 2 Heart Food Mart. West40 serves 41 district and co-op partners across West Cook County with programs funded by the state of Illinois and partner districts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EmpowerED: A professional development series offering free learning opportunities for specialist teachers, coaches, SEL teams, and paraprofessionals in areas such as fine arts, physical education, and world language.
• Heart 2 Heart Food Mart
• StitchED at West40
• SCOTY Awards
• Illinois School Safety Conference
• Shine

Products and services

• ALOP (Alternative Learning Opportunities Program)

Quantifiable outcome

• Cicero District 99 achieved 11 commendable designations (up from 10 in 2023) after multi-year continuous improvement partnership
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core, major and supporting.

• LaGrange Celtics Soccer ClubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2025Local soccer club (501(c)(3)) granted use of St. Joseph athletic fields in Westchester. Club kicked off annual soccer camp and has taken over field preparation and maintenance. Supports youth soccer players from all levels of development.
• Rush UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2025Partnership with Rush University to produce virtual reality educational content. West40 staff and student interns worked with Rush nursing graduates to create 'Step into Scrubs' VR video allowing students to experience nurse-patient interactions in real-world healthcare settings. Recent graduates Omotolani Idriss and Kamea Scott used the project for their Capstone graduation requirement.
• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCFS representatives toured the St. Joseph campus in Westchester and remain committed to the residential school program for foster children. DCFS has not ruled out future financial support for the St. Joseph project.
• Chi-CaremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChi-Care provides 100 freshly prepared hot meals each week for the Heart 2 Heart Food Mart at St. Joseph campus. Chi-Care also connected West40 to Phoenix Rising Strategies for furniture donations.
• Greater Chicago Food DepositorymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides food supplies to keep the West40 Food Mart shelves stocked, serving approximately 100 families each week.
• Phoenix Rising Staging of ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated over 100 new mattresses, pillows, bed frames and more for families at St. Joseph campus furniture giveaway event. Connected through Chi-Care relationship.
• West Cook County School Districts (41 districts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWest40 serves 41 district and co-op partners across West Cook County. Partnerships include formal service agreements, professional learning relationships, and student program collaborations. The region includes diverse suburban and urban communities.
• Illinois State Board of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISBE partners with West40 on the Illinois School Safety Conference and educator support initiatives. West40 assists with teacher licensure analysis and supports statewide education improvement efforts.
• LearnPlatformsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform used by West40 to manage student data privacy contract information and vendor agreements, ensuring SOPPA compliance.
• Morton College and Triton CollegesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner colleges with automotive technology programs referenced in West40's Employability Program career pathway discussions for students interested in auto mechanics careers.
• Village of RosemontsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVillage helped West40 secure the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center for the 2026 Illinois School Safety Conference.
• North Berwyn Park DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllowed West40 to hold the 2025 BackPack GiveBack event at the Joseph C. Vallez Center (1529 Harlem Avenue) in Berwyn.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS): State-level association that represents all 851 Illinois school districts, 4,000 schools, and 1.8 million students. IARSS is the umbrella body that convenes and advocates for the ISC/ROE system of which West40 is a member, with West40's executive director currently serving as president.
• Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA): National membership association for regional education service agencies across the United States. AESA represents the broader ESA/BOCES/ISC category that West40 belongs to and runs the Leadership Academy in which West40's executive director participates.

Direct peers

• North Cook Intermediate Service Center: Direct counterpart ISC operating in the adjacent North Cook County region of Illinois. North Cook ISC delivers the same mix of professional learning, student advocacy, and compliance services to its own set of school districts, making it the closest functional mirror to West40's mandate.
• South Cook Intermediate Service Center: Direct peer ISC serving school districts in southern Cook County. South Cook ISC offers parallel student support, professional development, and compliance services to its constituent districts and is explicitly named as a partner alongside West40 and North Cook ISC.

Regional players

• DuPage Regional Office of Education (ROE 19): Regional Office of Education serving DuPage County, Illinois. DuPage ROE performs the same statutory regional education service agency functions — compliance, professional development, and student support — for its own districts, making it a comparable Illinois peer outside West40's Cook County territory.
• Nassau BOCES: One of New York's largest Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, providing shared educational services — special education, professional development, compliance — to component school districts on Long Island. Nassau BOCES is the New York functional analog to an Illinois ISC and a useful structural benchmark for West40's service model.
• Lake County Regional Office of Education (Illinois): Regional Office of Education covering Lake County in northeastern Illinois. Delivers compliance, licensure, professional learning, and student support services to its constituent school districts under the same Illinois ROE/ISC framework as West40, serving as a neighboring-state peer in the same regulatory system.
• Will County Regional Office of Education (Illinois): Regional Office of Education serving Will County, Illinois. Will County ROE provides the same menu of statutory education support services — teacher licensure, compliance, professional development, and student programs — that West40 delivers, operating under an identical Illinois regulatory mandate in an adjacent county.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCt8VVjmtFkH_TY_pq4dL3uw
• Facebookfacebook.com/west40isc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west40
• Instagraminstagram.com/west40isc
• Xx.com/west40isc

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about West 40 Intermediate Service Center No. 2