Founded in 1961, the mission of the Sue Duncan Children’s Center is to enrich the lives of youth of all ages by nurturing their academic, athletic, and artistic growth. We are a year-round academic and social adjustment program that inspires a love of learning in at-risk youth through tutoring, mentoring, enrichment activities, and developing lasting relationships.
Sue Duncan Children’s Center can be narrowly defined as an after-school program; however, the success of its grassroots approach to advancing inner-city children academically and socially has been legendary. Children who participate in Center programming reach their full potential and exceed statistical expectations drastically.
The community we serve has always been subject to crisis situations, but nothing of this magnitude in recent history. The needs of the children and families we serve are not changing—they are escalating with added barriers. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the need for our academic and social adjustment program serving the African American community on Chicago’s south side where there has been a significant impact. Our response to the pandemic is not a departure from how we have worked historically to make a difference for families in crisis situations. The adjustment has been in doing so remotely, and practicing social distancing as required.
We are now offering remote tutoring/homework help and enrichment opportunities to the students and families we serve. This includes mentorship, special learning projects, and activities that will give students mental breaks from the pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic impact (games and artistic activities). We are also offering Tele-Therapy for students and families to help deal with the added stress, and a Parent Support Group to provide informal mutual support and discuss parenting challenges and strategies during the COVID-19 crisis.
of the children who attend show measurable progress with their grades, test scores, behavior, self-esteem, and planning for the future.
of 8th grade students graduate and all have gone on to high school, many of them attending top tier Illinois schools.
Our educational approach is framed by a Code of Ethics that outlines the four core values of our community. We ask each child to commit to upholding these community values through actions, attitude, and words. This formal agreement between the students and leadership presents an important lesson in partnership, trust, and accountability.
Sponsorships not only support our educational programming, it is an investment in our long-term impact. The Sue Duncan Children’s Center is focusing heavily on sustainability and smart growth this year. Become a sponsor and support our current and future excellence.
Learn more about the remote support we are providing. To the parents of children enrolled into our program: Consider us a part of your extended family.
Volunteers are essential for our continuing to serve the community during this crisis. The needs of the children and families we serve are escalating with added barriers.
View and download our 2020 Sponsorship Information for more details on how supporters will make a difference in one of Chicago’s most impacted communities.
