New Center Brings Hope to Families in Schaumburg

Marletta Darnall Schaumburg Child + Family Center Dedicated
June 22, 2010 marked Children’s Home + Aid's dedication of the new Marletta Darnall Schaumburg Child + Family Center, celebrating the gracious commitment of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Darnall to a lifetime of learning for children from low-income families living in the northwest suburbs. Among the speakers were Village of Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson, Children’s Home + Aid Board Chair Elizabeth Connelly, Schaumburg Steering Committee Chair Bob Riter, and Children’s Home + Aid President & CEO Nancy Ronquillo.

The building’s name, honoring Marletta Darnall, reflects Mr. and Mrs. Darnall’s generous $500,000 commitment to the Center. Their transformational gift, along with the leadership gifts of the Children’s Home + Aid Board of Trustees, allowed the agency to secure an additional $500,000 matching grant from the Kresge Foundation. The Capital Campaign has met its goal, and aims to exceed that goal by $100,000 by September.
>read press release >dedication photos >press coverage

The New Schaumburg Child + Family Center Dedicated

The new Children’s Home + Aid Schaumburg Child + Family Center brings great promise and opportunity to at-risk children and families within the greater Schaumburg area. Children’s Home + Aid has served the Schaumburg community for more than 19 years. It is the area’s leading provider of early childhood care and education services for low-income families.

Legislators, Schaumburg village officials, representatives from the Woodfield Area Children’s Organization, the local business community and community residents joined in the dedication of the long awaited Schaumburg Child + Family Center and witnessed Mayor Larson perform the ceremonial ribbon-cutting (see photo).

>read press release  >see slide show

Kresge Foundation Awards Schaumburg Child + Family Center with $500,000 Challenge Grant

Children’s Home + Aid was awarded a $500,000 challenge grant from The Kresge Foundation for its $4.5 million capital campaign to more-than-double capacity at the new Schaumburg Child + Family Center. The Kresge Foundation will provide matching funds up to $500,000, leaving $1.2 million left to be raised to reach the capital campaign goal.

The matching funds are contingent upon raising the remaining amount by September 30, 2010.

> read press release > you can help

Kristina's Story

Kristina learned about the Schaumburg Child + Family Center while attending junior college and was relieved to find subsidized child care for her son Isaiah. She was juggling a job, school, motherhood and financial hardship all at the same time. The three years she struggled to finish school was a very tough time in her life. She lived in a small rundown apartment in a bad area of town and her part-time job earning eight dollars an hour was hardly enough to pay the bills or buy groceries. With the help she received from the Schaumburg Child + Family Center, Kristina finished school, received her degree, landed a good job and was able to move into a new apartment complex. Isaiah is now five years old and is well prepared for kindergarten.
> Kristina tells her story (video)

Chicago Tribune Covers Need for Schaumburg Child + Family Center
Chicago Tribune
November 28, 2008
By: Graydon Megan
Day care prepares for move: Schaumburg center services at-risk kids

Chicago Tribune Publishes Letter to the Editor on Need for Early Childhood Education
Chicago Tribune
October 20, 2008
Letter to the editor
By: Karen Selman, vice-president of Children's Home + Aid
Early childhood, good investment

Invest in Schaumburg's Future

The new Center is designed to meet the growing needs of at-risk children and families living in Schaumburg. In addition to quality early childhood care and education, the Center offers services to meet the needs of the entire family including, family counseling, crisis intervention, and parent support and education. The fees and services are sensitive to the needs of low-income families trying hard to maintain employment and avoid welfare dependence.

Invest in the new Schaumburg Child + Family Center today and you will be making an investment toward a brighter tomorrow for all the children and families of Schaumburg.

>New Schaumburg Child + Family Center Fact Sheet
>The Ramey Initiative: Building A Foundation for a Lifetime of Learning 

We need your help

The new Schaumburg Child + Family Center cost $4.5 million to build. Watch the thermometer to see how much we continue to raise. Every donation helps.

>Named Gift Opportunities

Building a Foundation for a Lifetime of Learning

Children born in high-risk environments face significant barriers to healthy development and learning. Research shows that children from high-risk environments on average test at a 3-year-old level upon entering kindergarten. Research findings also indicate that the most cost-effective and successful way to close this achievement gap is through early childhood education.

Quality early childhood education investments translate to a difference in 18 IQ points by age five for at-risk
children, putting these children on par with their peers.

>More Facts

Programs at the Center Serving Children and Families

• Full-Day Early Childhood Care and Education
• Developmental Assessment
• Nutrition Program
• Family Counseling
• Crisis Intervention
• Parent Support and Education

Helping Helen

Coping with the effects of divorce, finding someone to care for her three children and finding a job to make ends meet was overwhelming for Helen. When she enrolled her children in a Children’s Home + Aid Child + Family Center, the professional staff helped the entire family cope. Helen was able to find a job and the subsidized child care helped her financial situation. The professional staff detected a speech delay in her youngest child, and arranged for the child to receive therapy at the Center while Helen was at work.

>More Success Stories

You can help!

Please join us in creating a brighter future for disadvantaged children and families.

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