Christopher House Continues To Help Uptown Children

A Christopher House student sharing her Goldilocks book

You might not be familiar with Christopher House at 4701 N. Winthrop so here is a brief overview of their programs and what they are working on:

Christopher House partners with families to provide a continuum of innovative schools for students from birth through eighth grade as well as parent programs that create stable, self-sufficient families. Founded in 1906, Christopher House was the first Head Start location in Chicago. With schools in Uptown as well as Logan Square and Belmont Cragin, Christopher House serves more than 5,700 children and families across its Infant School & Preschool, Elementary School, After School, and Parent School. Through this wrap-around approach that focuses on the entire family, Christopher House is creating a national model for helping low-income, at-risk children and their families achieve success in school, the workplace, and life.

In addition to the work Christopher House is doing independently, the organization is also working alongside other local nonprofits to maximize impact for Chicago children and families most in need. Here’s a topline overview of a couple timely initiatives:

National Recognition: In 2009, Christopher House spearheaded the launch of the Chicago Benchmarking Collaborative, which is an alliance of six education and human service agencies that collectively work with more than 12,000 low-income individuals throughout some of Chicago’s most underserved neighborhoods. The Chicago Benchmarking Collaborative (CBC) was recently recognized at a national level as a finalist in The 2017 Collaboration Prize, which spotlights nonprofits that successfully work together to achieve a greater impact. As a finalist, the CBC receives $10,000. The grand prize of $150,000 is expected to be announced in April.

Partnership with Erikson Institute: Christopher House and Erikson, two local organizations committed to child development, are joining forces to support at-risk Chicago children. As part of Erikson’s 50th year celebration, their staff and the entire Erikson community will partner with Christopher House for a Service Week taking place April 3-7. With a focus on literacy, Christopher House has identified needs that Erikson volunteers will support through activities ranging from reading a favorite book to students to assisting teachers with hands-on classroom activities and kicking off a new mentoring partnership.