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GHC provides Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start (EHS) services to 697 children and pregnant mothers, addressing a significant service gap in the early education of eligible children in Ashburn, Brighton Park, Chicago Lawn, Morgan Park, North Lawndale, and West Englewood. GHC works with each community service, to create an alliance that will assist our families with resources and any available needs. Within the boundary areas that GHC services, the agency provides a sense of community along with fostering a paramount role in supporting children and families in developing feelings of belonging and security. As children grow, GHC assists families by providing authentic relationships with the outer world, helping families to find their place, and leading them to understand shared values in society.
GHC & Community Demographic
In Brighton Park, 16 sites serve children 0-5 which include 7 funded through DFSS, 8 through Chicago Public Schools, and 1 Other EHS/HS funded site. In Chicago Lawn, 35 sites serve children 0-5 which include 19 funded through DFSS, 15 through Chicago Public Schools, and 1 Other EHS/HS funded site. In North Lawndale, 55 sites serve children 0-5 which include 30 funded through DFSS, 24 through Chicago Public Schools, and 1 Other EHS/HS funded site. In Ashburn, a total of 70 sites serve children 0-5 which include 37 funded through DFSS, 31 through Chicago Public Schools, and 2 Other EHS/HS funded sites. In Morgan Park, 76 sites serve children 0-5 which include 39 funded through DFSS, 35 through Chicago Public Schools and, 2 Other EHS/HS funded sites. In West Englewood, 91 sites serve children 0-5 which include 45 funded through DFSS, 42 through Chicago Public Schools, and 4 Other EHS/HS funded sites.
GHC serves 372 children and pregnant mothers, addressing a significant service gap in the early education of eligible children in Ashburn, Brighton Park, Chicago Lawn, Gage Park, Morgan Park, North Lawndale, and West Englewood. GHC offers a variety of options to address varying child and parent needs.
GHC & Partnering to Meet the Need
Gads Hill Center fully executes the Memorandum of Understanding under the Head Start Grantee and PreK/Preschool for All Entity. Under this agreement, Gads Hill Center will coordinate and collaborate with Chicago Public Schools for children that are 3-5 years of age for disabilities services. The collaboration allows all Head Start children access to appropriate services through the Chicago Public School system which includes developmentally appropriate specialists that serve children with disabilities.
Children 0-3 that display developmental concerns are welcomed through the CFC, Child, and Family Connection service through the department of Illinois which provides Early Intervention services. Child and Family Connections (CFC) are regional intake agencies for children and families to enter the Illinois Early Intervention System. There are 25 CFCs located around the state, each being responsible for a specific geographic area. Gads Hill Center submits referrals for children 0-3 through the CFC according to the zip code of the family that is referred for services.
GHC Community Needs & Resources
GHC answers the call for community needs by offering comprehensive support to our families. We create strong partnerships that increase the resources available, such as;
immigration services
medical/dental providers
access to in-house and outsourced mental health services
access to nurses and lactation specialist
access to nutritionist contracted in-house.
access to workforce development opportunities
assistance with local WIC services, public aid office locations and applying for services, public library locations, park districts, community church give-a-ways and CPS school entry
GHC Community Needs & Education
Gads Hill Center creates alliances with researched-based curriculum materials that assist our families with educational needs centered around school readiness goals. The Educational needs and strengths of families are the core of early intervention services for our community-based programs. The desired outcomes for the educational needs of our families are to ensure that children have full access to all resources that will allow them to thrive inside and outside of our programs. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Gads Hill Center was able to connect with many community programs that provided food and supplies for families. Teachers were able to communicate with children and families with the Teaching Strategies Gold online version and the Ready Rosie platform. The children in our programs were able to be a part of a community-based program that continued to educate them through the COVID-19 pandemic. Gads Hill Center provided remote learning kits to both directly operated sites as well as partner sites to continue educating children while not physically in our programs. Our program has sustained the educational needs and strengths of families along with identifying and outlining resources, supports, and services put in place for family’s self-defined needs. Gads Hill Center takes pride in the achievements and accomplishments that are desired by our family’s and meaningful in their life. Desired outcomes are then used to build a program of services that will be implemented to support the family as they support the development of their child.
GHC works collaboratively with CPS and Early Intervention (EI) in order to ensure children, receive the services they need. GHC regularly provides EI therapists and paraprofessionals to address the high rate of learning disabilities across service areas.
GHC Community Needs & Unique Populations
By offering center-based, home visiting, EHS-CCP/PFA/PI, and partner network options, GHC’s meets the needs of the communities’ diverse populations—many of whom have long work schedules necessitating all-day care. GHC’s family support workers provide our 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. GHC’s Home Visiting program provides support to families whose life circumstances might prevent them from participating in more structured settings—families such as those who suffer severe stressors like community violence, maternal depression, or substance abuse. Working in an environment where families are most comfortable allows for an intimate relationship, which sets the stage for close, trusting relationships—a critical element in any program designed to support children and their families.
GHC & Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners
The concept of disability has many definitions and components that divide children into two groups: those who have disabilities and those who do not. Applying the concept of disabilities presents unique challenges. Some children receive disability diagnoses as newborns, although developmental and learning problems may not become evident for some time. Gads Hill Center understands that parents and teachers often have concerns about the development and learning ability of some children long before a disability is identified. The identification of disabilities involves tracking a child’s development consistent with a typically developing child in his or her peer group, as well as monitoring inconsistent changes in growth and development over time. Gads Hill Center staff are familiar with expected ranges of development in order to know when a child is showing signs of a significant delay or disability.
Gads Hill Center has children that are receiving services for the following disabilities:
Speech/Language
Non-Categorical/Developmental Delay
Autism
Learning Disability
Developmental Impairment
Gads Hill Center fully executes the Memorandum of Understanding under the Head Start Grantee and PreK/Preschool for All Entity. Under this agreement, Gads Hill Center will coordinate and collaborate with Chicago Public Schools for children that are 3-5 years of age for disabilities services. The collaboration allows all Head Start children access to appropriate services through the Chicago Public School system that include developmentally appropriate specialist that service children with disabilities.
Children 0-3 that display developmental concerns are welcomed through the CFC, Child, and Family Connection service through the department of Illinois that provides Early Intervention services. Child and Family Connections (CFC) are regional intake agencies for children and families to enter the Illinois Early Intervention System. There are 25 CFCs located around the state, each being responsible for a specific geographic area. Gads Hill Center submits referrals for children 0-3 through the CFC according to the zip code of the family that is referred for services.
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