GHC History 

The Foundation of Gads Hill Center 

Gads Hill Center (GHC) was founded in 1898 as part of the Settlement House Movement, created in the Progressive Era by a visionary group of social workers whose vision was to change the approach of social work from charity to solidarity and to help recent immigrants integrate into their new, adoptive community. For 124 years, Gads Hill Center has been a beacon of hope for Chicago’s underserved and under-resourced communities, working alongside immigrant families who have historically faced prejudice, bias, and injustice and continuously adapting our culturally- and linguistically relevant programs to meet the needs of those we serve. At Gads Hill Center, we aim to create opportunities for children and their families to build a better life through education, access to resources, and community engagement. We passionately believe that all individuals, regardless of where they start, can achieve their full potential and that early childhood education and childcare should be a universal right for all families.

Gads Hill Center is a Head Start/Early Head Start Delegate agency to Chicago Commons, and the City of Chicago is thankful for the opportunity to apply as a direct grantee to the Administration of Children and Families Office of Head Start. In the past 15 years, Gads Hill Center has grown its reach from one site in Chicago’s predominantly immigrant Pilsen neighborhood to five additional sites in North Lawndale, Brighton Park, and Chicago Lawn. We prepare children and youth for a bright future through high-quality, comprehensive education, equip parents with tools for success, and work with families to become active community members. By offering center-based and home-visiting Head Start options, GHC meets the needs of the communities’ diverse populations—many of whom have long work schedules necessitating all-daycare. GHC’s Family Support Workers provide (FSW) families—100% of whom fall below the federal poverty line and live in food deserts—with access to educational, medical health, medical, and nutrition resources. If left unaddressed, community needs become risk factors that negatively impact family stability and healthy child development.

Gads Hill Center’s programs are built upon the four pillars of our theory of change: research-based education, trauma-informed mental health services, parent involvement, and civic engagement - with a vision that each child will have the skills and resilience to succeed in school and achieve their full potential. Our programs are designed using a racial justice lens and we are committed to becoming a racial justice-informed organization, consistently working to ensure families have the knowledge and power to shape our institutions, democracy, and economy. Through nationally recognized curricula, we excel at providing early childhood education programs centered around academic success (We leverage each program to deepen our impact by providing comprehensive, trauma-informed mental health services and holistic family support and community services. Today, our programs impact over 4,500 children and families on Chicago’s south and west sides annually and include Head Start and Early Head Start center-based and home visiting programs, youth services, mental health services, and community-based health, wellness, civic engagement, and empowerment programs.