Family Focus Facts

What is our mission?

       To promote the well-being of children from birth by supporting and strengthening their families in and with their communities.

How old are we?

        Family Focus was founded in Evanston in 1976 by Bernice Weissbourd, a leading scholar and educator in child development.

Where are we?

        Our community-based centers are located in Aurora, Bensenville, Cicero, Evanston, and Highland Park, Illinois, and the Chicago communities of Englewood, Hermosa, and North Lawndale. Plus, we conduct additional outreach and school-based programs in Highwood and Melrose Park, Illinois, and in Albany Park, Greater Grand Crossing, West Englewood, Humboldt Park, West Town and South Lawndale in Chicago.

How many people do we help?

        20,000 people are actively enrolled in family support services; we provide outreach and crisis support to an additional 17,000 individuals.

How big are we?

        Family Focus has an operating budget of $13.5 million and a staff that includes 200 employees and an additional 200 contractual staff.

What do we do?

        Family Focus provides child development education and skills training for teen and adult parents, developmental health screenings, early intervention services, early literacy, home visiting, afterschool programming, health and fitness education for parents and children, ESL, GED, citizenship and computer literacy classes for adults, plus assistance connecting with community services and health care providers.

How do we do this?

        All of our programs are based on the Principles of Family Support, which promote respect for our families and their cultures and a commitment to working with—not for—families to achieve each family’s goals.


Principles of Family Support:

  • Staff and families work together in relationships based on equality and respect.

  • Staff enhance families’ capacity to support the growth and development of all family members – adults, youth, and children.

  • Families are resources to their own members, to other families, to programs, and to communities.

  • Programs affirm and strengthen families’ cultural, racial, and linguistic identities and enhance their ability to function in a multicultural society.

  • Programs are embedded in their communities and contribute to the community-building process.

  • Programs advocate with families for services and systems that are fair, responsive, and accountable to the families served.

  • Practitioners work with families to mobilize formal and informal resources to support family development.

  • Programs are flexible and continually responsive to emerging family and community issues.

  • Principles of family support are modeled in all program activities, including planning, governance, and administration.