Introduction: The Chicago Child Care Society (CCCS) is the oldest child welfare organization in Illinois. Founded in 1849 as the Chicago Orphan Asylum, the agency exists to protect vulnerable children and strengthen their families by providing high quality and effective child welfare services. A rare and informative history of this pioneering child welfare agency is captured in the book:

CHILDREN OF CIRCUMSTANCE:A History Of The First 125 Years (1849-1974) Of The Chicago Child Care SocietyBy: Clare L. McCausland

The history of the Chicago Child Care Society also reflects the growth of the city of Chicago, IL from a simple town of 30,000 to a large metropolitan area. Through the history of the CCCS readers can also observe the impact on social service organizations of the Civil War, the Great Chicago Fire, World War I and the Great Depression. Large portions of the book CHILDREN OF CIRCUMSTANCE are included in three parts included with this entry.

(Note: A brief historical time line of CCCS follows the description of current programs and services.)

Belief Statement
• We believe the quality of life for future generations depends upon the quality of care provided for children today.
• We believe children should be provided with services and opportunities that will enable them to reach their optimum physical, mental and social development.
• We believe all children are entitled to the protection and nurturing care of adults, preferably within their birth families. However, if a family cannot fulfill these basic functions, we believe society, by either public or private means, should provide the best alternative care.

Current Programs and Services

Counseling Program provides family oriented counseling for the agency’s foster care programs, and the Child and Family Development Center. Individual and family therapy is provided to the clients we serve as identified through assessment and evaluation. Clinical Consultation and Trainings are also a service offered to community programs. These services range from individual case consultation to topical trainings for other social service providers.

Educational Support Program provides services to children who are experiencing academic, behavioral and attendance difficulties and are at risk of future expulsion or dropping out of school. CCCS works with local community schools and other service providers with the aim of providing children with a more stable school experience.

Extended Family Support Program provides tangible assistance and emotional support to relatives who provide care to related children. Services include helping families to obtain child-only grants from the Illinois Department of Human Services, obtain private guardianship through probate court and access funds to stabilize the child’s living arrangement.

Traditional Foster Care program works with children who have been removed from the care of their parents due to issues of abuse, neglect or abandonment. The program places these children in a CCCS licensed foster home or in the home of another family member. The program is designed to provide services that make every attempt to safely reunify children with their parents and to remove the risks which previously existed. If this is not possible, the program will then work toward adoption or guardianship alternatives to provide the children with a sense of permanency.

The Female Adolescent Program provides DCFS wards with a unique foster care experience. The program is intended for females between the ages of 12 to 20, who have a history of foster home instability. The program places these children in the home of a professional foster parent who is employed by the agency as a specialized caretaker with unique skills and training. The professional foster parent is a member of the child’s service team which also includes a case manager, therapist, and mentor. The program also provides an emphasis on life skills development and education.

Next Step is a college readiness program with mentoring support for high school mothers with one child. Participants work with college educated female mentors who provide guidance and support both one-on-one and in bi-monthly group meetings. Mentors support the student’s educational efforts and guide them through the college application process. This three-year program encourages teen moms to stay complete high school and attend college.

Next Step for Teen Dads is a college readiness/male mentorship program for high school fathers. Participants work with male mentors who provide guidance and support both one-on-one and in bi-monthly group meetings. Mentors support the student’s educational efforts and guide them through the college application process. A new initiative, this three-year program will encourage teen dads to complete high school and attend college.

Safe Life is an HIV/AIDS prevention/education program is aimed at providing information to adolescents. This program is staffed by an HIV Specialist who is trained in Red Cross Act SMART HIV/AIDS Education curriculum to provide information on the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

Teen Parenting Initiative serves pregnant and parenting teens who are enrolled in the Chicago Public Schools. Teens who are enrolled in this program receive parenting education, case management services, and zero-to-three early intervention services for their infants and young children.

The Child and Family Development Center is a Grantee of the University of Chicago Medical Center & the University of Chicago Childcare Initiative in Hyde Park serving a diverse group of children ages 2 to 5 years old.

CHICAGO CHILD CARE SOCIETY HISTORICAL TIMELINE

1849 – Founded by Chicago’s most prominent civic leaders, then named Chicago Orphan Asylum opens its doors to children whose parents succumbed in the cholera epidemic on Wells Street between Van Buren and Harrison streets.

1853 – The Chicago Orphan Asylum builds a new home on two acres at 73 Michigan Avenue.

1856 – The Agency hires its first teacher and begins schooling children.

1860 – During the Civil War, the term “soldier’s child” becomes a typical notation in Asylum records.

1870 – The Chicago Orphan Asylum adopts the policy of accepting destitute children without regard to race, religion or nationality. This policy continues to this day.

1871 – During the Great Chicago Fire, the Chicago Orphan Asylum opens its parlors for clothing distribution to those who flee their burning homes in nightclothes.

1882 – The Asylum establishes a school within the agency that includes Kindergarten, Primary, and Secondary grade levels “after the manner of the public schools”.

1900 – The Agency moves to 5120 South Park Avenue and houses children in small cottages with a caretaker to create a “real family” atmosphere.

1931 – With only 13 children in residence, the agency mores away from institutional care and relocates to 4911 Lake Park Avenue which houses offices, ten beds and a small hospital.

1933 – Placement of children in permanent homes through adoption begins.

1938 – A foster care experiment starts with 17 children placed in private homes. By 1949, there were 100 children in the program, many as a result of work with unmarried mothers.

1949 – The Agency celebrates its 100th Anniversary and changes its name to Chicago Child Care Society (CCCS) to more accurately reflect their services.

1951 – CCCS establishes a Research Department to measure children’s progress in foster care homes.

1957 – The agency takes over the Hyde Park Nursery for its Day Care Center. It is later renamed The Child and Family Development Center.

1963 – CCCS moves into its current home at 5467 S. University Avenue in Hyde Park.

1964 – Family Counseling services begin, first as part of the Day Care Center, then as a separate and growing sector of its total programs.

1966 – Building on policy of placing children across religious lines, trans-racial and single parent adoptions begin.

1967 – The Men’s Board and Women’s Board are merged and a formalized Research Department with a full-time research director is created.

1970 – CCCS releases a landmark trans-racial adoption study, which finds that trans-racial adoptions do not negatively impact the child.

1975 – CCCS celebrates 125th Anniversary and publishes “Children of Circumstance” history.

1991 – CCCS programs receive The Chicago Community Trust’s 1991 James Brown Ford IV Annual Award of Excellence for Outstanding Community Service.

1999 – In its Sesquicentennial year, CCCS launches a major fundraising campaign to support a broad network of programs and alliances that will continue to change children’s lives.

150th Anniversary

2000 – CCCS achieved re-accreditation status in December of 2000 from the Council on Accreditation for Child and Family Services.

2001 – CCCS begins serving homeless children in the Child and Family Development Center.

2004 – CCCS assumes the “Next Step” Program from the Junior League of Chicago. The program is a mentoring Program for Junior & Senior High School young ladies who are parenting one child. The program’s objective is for the young ladies to graduate from college or a vocational training program. The collaboration with the Junior League also includes collaboration with the SSA Department of the University of Chicago who will design the mentoring component of the program as well as assist with program outcomes.