The Family Support Philosophy
(Click HERE for a complete list of the Premises and Principles of Family Support.)

The mission of Family Focus—one of the nation's flagship family support programs since 1976—is to promote the well-being of children from birth by supporting and strengthening their families in and with their communities. Family Focus offers innovative, community-based programs that help parents, grandparents, and foster and adoptive parents, gain confidence and competence as the primary educators of their children.

All of Family Focus's programs are based on a set of guidelines that focus on the primacy of families in raising children and on working with, rather than for, families, empowering them to accomplish this task. Family Focus staff and families work together to build on families' own strengths for the healthy development of their children.

Family Focus has seven centers throughout the Chicago area. These centers are models for family support programs throughout the nation. (For locations see our Center Locations page.)

At these centers, parents, children, and teens get support and connect with their neighbors. All families can participate in Family Focus programs, regardless of ability to pay. Family Focus's programs include:

• Parenting education classes and information
• Child development activities
• After-school programs
• Parent-to-parent support groups and mentoring
• Parent-child activities
• Information and referrals
• Advocacy

We're staying late at school: Family Focus is helping to turn schools all around Chicago into welcoming community centers, alive with after-school and enrichment programs for children and their families.

We've brought family support home: Teenage parents, children exposed to violence, immigrant mothers, new families—all are benefiting from in-home support through Family Focus's expanded home visitor program.

We collaborate in the community: Family Focus works in partnership with all family members and collaborates with other professionals to support stable and healthy families.

Return to top