Virginia Frank Child Development Center
A nationally recognized pioneer in the field of family-centered child development, the Virginia Frank Child Development Center, a program of the Glick Center for Early Childhood Services, offers a continuum of caring, preventive and therapeutic services for children ages birth to six. Virginia Frank operates on the principle that children, families and service providers grow and develop most in the context of reciprocal and supportive relationships. Our staff supports the achievement of a child’s developmental milestones and promotes a strong parent-child foundation.
With staff expertise in infant mental health, family systems and developmental theory and practice, the Center’s programs prevent the long-term consequences of developmental delays, depression, neglect and child abuse.
Each child comes to the Center five days a week and is a member of a group of four children led by a highly skilled educational therapist. In addition to the child’s daily therapeutic group, the family participates in weekly counseling provided by social workers and educational therapists. Follow-up therapy is also provided to ensure that each child’s unique needs are addressed throughout his or her childhood.
WE PROVIDE
Therapeutic Nursery and Kindergarten
Five days a week, 11 months a year, the Therapeutic Nursery and Kindergarten offers a small, structured, language-enriched program that offers children, who are unsuccessful in traditional early educational programs, the opportunity to succeed. The program emphasizes a warm and caring environment that helps children develop socially, emotionally and cognitively and reach their ultimate potential. Children of all backgrounds are referred to Virginia Frank from schools, hospitals and other social service agencies from around the Chicago area.
Get Together
Get Together, an hour and a half drop-in program for parents with children under five, provides a place where families with young children can find education and support. Visitors are encouraged to interact with other families and restore the energy needed to meet the around-the-clock demands of parenting. In addition, an interdisciplinary team of professionals including social workers, child development specialists and family life education workers provide participants with a place to voice their parenting questions and concerns.
Classes are currently offered on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at the Virginia Frank Child Development Center in West Rogers Park.
Consultation and Training Institute Link
Virginia Frank Child Development Center has provided consultation and training services to Early Head Start, Head Start and private childcare programs throughout the Chicago community for more than 30 years. We have helped early childhood staff implement the curriculum needed to support the social and emotional growth of children and families.
Virginia Frank consultants are experienced clinicians and early childhood educators who are trained in developmental theory and practice, classroom management, curriculum development, infant mental health and family systems. Our approach reflects the belief that children, families and service providers do their best work in a trusting and supportive environment.
Our consultation and training services help early childhood staff:
·Develop more effective tools for confronting difficult behaviors and emotionally charged situations in the classroom
·Enhance the resilience of families
·Learn techniques for supporting teachers and reducing staff stress and burnout
Therapy for Families and Children Link
When a developmental task is unusually difficult for a child, professional counseling may be needed to promote growth and change. While some situations require a short period of intervention, others may require additional long-term work. Our highly trained staff offers counseling to children and families who may be facing tragic losses, financial difficulties, marital concerns or illness. In an effort to provide innovative and comprehensive services to the families we serve, we work with consultants from the fields of psychiatry, psychology and occupational therapy.
Family Life Education Parenting Series
Through our Family Life Education Parenting Series, our parenting experts provide education and support to Chicago-area mothers and fathers. Whether discussing teething, temper tantrums, toilet training or other parenting topics, our groups and workshops meet in a variety of Chicagoland locations throughout the year.
These popular groups include
- First-Time Mothers
- First-Time Fathers
- You and Your Two Year Old
- Getting Ready for Nursery School
- Moms Having Children Later in Life
- Discipline and Limit Setting
- Parenting Multiple Birth Children
Click here to learn more about additional Life Education Network programs.
