Child THRIVE

Based in the high-need area of West Humboldt Park, Child Thrive community center and programs empower the neighborhood to develop collaborative strategies that improve daily living conditions, increase resilience in youth, strengthen the social fabric and enhance health and safety for all. Our belief is that residents need to be at the core for sustainable change to happen for them.

Child Thrive aims to reduce the impact of long-term systemic racism and inequality by:

• Increasing community capacity to prevent and address child trauma
• Providing access to essential health and wellness services
• Advancing the skills of children and youth through social and emotional learning
• Increasing environmental assets in the community for youth and families

Struggling with gun violence, the trauma caused by crime, lack of economic investment and the inequity of racism, the people of West Humboldt Park were the catalyst for our new Child Thrive Resource Center. This new community center offers youth mentoring, trauma counseling, support groups, access to primary care services and afterschool programming. Our principal focus is providing a secure space where children feel safe from the threat of violence.

Led by Children’s Place Association, we opened the doors for our Child Thrive project in July of 2021, in partnership with Big Brothers/Big Sisters (youth mentoring), Juvenile Protective Association (mental health), Rush Medical Center (primary care), and West Humboldt Park Development Council (economic development).

The goal is to help transform this westside community from one of the harshest places to be a child into a neighborhood where every child can thrive by expanding resources in this underserved neighborhood.