Announcing Our New Fathers & Families Affiliate

We are excitied to introduce our new affilaite in Chicago under the leadership of Tuesday's Child and their CEO, Dr. Ramon Nieves. 

Tuesday’s Child originated in 1980 at Children’s Memorial Hospital as a family service developed by mental health care and early education specialists to help families of young children who had conflict-ridden relationships with their parents.  Many of these children also had significant emotional/behavioral difficulties or developmental disorders.  In 1984, Tuesday’s Child was established as an independent 501c(3) nonprofit organization.

The mission of Tuesday’s Child is to “help families establish and maintain strong, positive relationships with their children from the earliest stages and to help children, especially those at risk for failure, to enter school ready to learn.

Tuesday’s Child is widely recognized as one of Chicago’s premier parenting and child development resources.  In 1994, the American Psychological Association recognized Tuesday’s Child for having a model program of service delivery in child and family health.  In 2006, Tuesday’s Child was recognized for its excellence in serving communities by SBC/AT&T, and was also the recipient of the 2006 Nuestro Futuro Philanthropic Initiative Award.

The approach of Tuesday’s Child is two-fold.  First children who are either displaying risk factors for behavioral issues, or diagnosed with a developmental delay, receive intervention in a therapeutic environment.  Second, their parents receive support, training, and ongoing individual feedback on issues pertaining to their children’s development and behavior.  Tuesday’s Child has programs appropriate for children from approximately 12 months (“walking age”) through age 6.

Programs

Parenting Program:  Parents work on individualized behavioral and goal planning acitivities in an 8-week format with group sessions led by a Clinical Psychologist, and individual time with trained peer mentors.  Both weekday and Saturday morning programs are available to address the needs of single parents, co-parenting situations, and the problems parents face when each parent is working full time.  Program fees are based on a sliding scale.

The Child Center:  The Child Center compliments the Tuesday’s Child parent education programs by using the same developmentally appropriate, behavior management strategies taught to parents.  Emphasis is placed on cooperating with the teacher, interactive games with peers, and play.  Program fees are based on a sliding scale.  The four areas of concentration emphasized and observed in the Child Center are socialization (ability to interact appropriately with others); time on task (ability to focus and concentrate); participation (ability to cope with a variety of situations); and compliance (ability to recognize limits and follow directions).

Familias Felices:  A free, 8-week Spanish-language parent training program.  While parents attend the workshops, the child are in the Child Center.

Outreach Program:  The parent trainings are offered to community organizations in a workshop/seminar format.  These programs are offered in six-week or one-day sessions in Spanish and English.

Summer Camp:  The Camp provides children with the opportunity to experience educational field trips and camp settings while continuing to offer developmental intervention and behavior management.

Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy:  Therapies for children who are exhibiting signs of speech/language delays or motor skill delays.

Complete Diagnostic Assessments:  Full evaluations to determine a child’s risk for developmental delays.

Tuesday’s Child revenues derive from three different sources: government (1/3); program fees (1/3); grants, foundations, and individual donations (1/3).

Contact Person:

Dr. Ramon Nieves

Executive Director

773-282-5274

Please email Dr. Nieves for assistance at ramonnieves@ameritech.net or call Dr. Nieves at 773-282-5274