Holy Family Ministries

Located in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago, Holy Family Ministries is a not-for-profit organization operating four programs for at-risk youth: (1) Holy Family School (K-8, faith based); (2) Little Learners pre-school and childcare program; (3) Visions After-School Program; and (4) Adventures in Learning summer program. Families pay a fee based on income, approximately 25% of the full cost. Programs are offered “first-come, first-served” without regard to religion, race, previous academic achievement, or ethnicity. Ninety-eight percent (98%) of the children served are African American and 2% are Hispanic. Ninety-two (92%) are classified as low-income by their eligibility for free and reduced-price meals from the State of Illinois. Seventy-eight percent (78%) live in a single-parent household. The poverty rate in Lawndale is 45%, substantially higher than the overall Chicago poverty rate of 20%. (Source: www.metroplanning.org) Lawndale's violent crime rate is Chicago’s 9th highest at 27 per 1,000 residents and it has the 6th highest rate of child abuse and neglect of children. (Source: NORTH LAWNDALE JUVENILE JUSTICE SNAPSHOT 2009–2010, May 2011.) Despite these statistics, Holy Family School outcomes are strong. In 2012, school-wide English-Language Arts scores were higher than the national average, and 83% of our 8th grade grads have enrolled at high schools with average ACT scores at or above the average for all Illinois high schools.