Our Impact

Since opening our doors in 1991, we’ve served more than 4,000 Chicago-area children and parents struggling with health issues and poverty through our comprehensive programs.

Children’s Place Association uses evidence-based models and our programs have established methodologies for evaluation of effectiveness and client outcomes. We collect and evaluate data to measure progress and we use a formal Performance Quality Improvement (PQI) process to monitor and improve the performance, quality and effectiveness of the services we provide.

Chicagoans Served in 2015

375
Individuals
276
Families
34
Neighborhoods

Located on Chicago’s west side, Children’s Place Association serves children and families throughout the city and surrounding suburbs.

ChciagoMap

Race/Ethnicity

55% African-American
34% Latino
3% Multiracial
8% Caucasian/Other

Income

67% Families with annual incomes of 10k or less
53% Subsisted on incomes of 5k or less per year

Gender

53% Female
47% Male

Age

57% 0-5
20% 6-18
23% 19 and older

“Children’s Place is like family to me. They have supported me and my children and helped keep our family strong and united…. I don’t think the staff or supporters will ever fully know how much they have impacted my life.”

Sandra
former Children’s Place client (Supportive Housing and Early Learning Center); employed at a Fortune 500 company; purchased her first home in 2015

Areas of Impact

Health

  • 28 children with serious health conditions received 24-hour nursing care at our Residential Center.
  • 301 children received health screenings by our Registered Nurses across all programs.
  • 48 preschool children with illnesses or disabilities received on-site nursing care at our Early Learning Center, enabling them to benefit from quality early education.
  • Nearly 1,000 hours of individual or group mental health therapy were provided to children and caregivers.

Education

  • Nearly 200 children from low-income families received quality early education services (125 children at our Early Learning Center; 70 children via our Home-Based initiative).
  • 15 children graduated from our Early Learning Center. Despite numerous challenges, including health issues, 100% children of graduating in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 were fully prepared for kindergarten, as indicated by nationally recognized assessment tools.
  • 15 adult family members returned to school or participated in career training.

Family Stability

  • 78 abused or neglected children – 50 of whom had disabilities or special needs – were placed with loving, trained foster or adoptive parents.
  • 19 children were placed in permanent homes through adoption or guardianship and one was successfully reunited with the birth family.
  • 24 families participated in parenting workshops or training.

West Humboldt Place

Economic Stability

  • 9 families – including 13 adults and 15 children – found security through our supportive housing program.
  • 68 families received emergency food, rental and utility assistance to help them through financial crises.
  • 5 families participated in financial literacy workshops.
  • 13 apartments and on-site support services were added through our new West Humboldt Place development, doubling our housing capacity.

Learn More About Our Services

Challenges and Research

Children who face the dual challenges of illness and poverty are less likely to grow into accomplished students, successful workers and engaged citizens. The work of Children Place Association is aimed at transforming the future for these children through our focused model of early childhood education, social services, health care and family supports.

Child Poverty in Chicago

  • According to the Census, one in three children in Chicago under the age of 18 live in poverty. That’s roughly 200,000 children. (“New Census data shows persistence of poverty in Chicago,” Jonah Newman, Chicago Reporter, September 17, 2015)
  • Illinois Kids Count 2015 found that child poverty rates are highest for the youngest children (under age 6). Early childhood poverty can have especially harmful effects on academic achievement, health outcomes and economic opportunities in adulthood.

Children and Homelessness

  • The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) estimates that families make up 50% of Chicago’s homeless population.
  • A 2014 CCH analysis indicated there were 48,743 homeless children in Chicago – 35% of the city’s total.
  • Children who are homeless go hungry at twice the rate of other children, have three times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems and are eight times more likely to repeat a grade.

Proven Benefits of Early Education

Children who receive quality early education are:

  • 29% more likely to graduate high school
  • 19% more likely to secure employment
  • 24% more likely to own a home
  • 50% less likely to need special education
  • 50% less likely to become teen parents
  • 70% less likely to be arrested for a violent crime before age 18