About Us

Changing lives through Growth and Opportunity for more than 40 years Play video

Our Vision

Inspired by faith, Concordia Place envisions bigger and better tomorrows where rich diversity strengthens learning and growth for all.

Our Mission

Concordia Place disrupts social inequities through access to top-quality education, enrichment, and hands-on experiences that includes all children, teens, and families—together.

1981

Concordia Lutheran Church responds to the request of 3 single mothers and creates a child care center to provide after school care for 12 children ages 6 to 12 years old

1989

Concordia adds a preschool for children ages 3 to 5 years old

1990's

NAEYC accreditation helps grow enrollment to almost 100

2006

Concordia opens its second center and serves all ages – infants, young children, teens, adults and seniors

2008

Enrollment across programs grows to over 300

2011

Teen Leadership offers paid internships so teenagers build skills and real work experience

2016–2018

Concordia Place launched its Growth and Opportunity strategy to address Chicago’s need for early learning.

Concordia on Ravenswood opened in 2016 and Concordia on Milwaukee opened in 2018.

2020

Concordia responds to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing emergency child care, reopening as soon as possible for in-person early childhood programming for all, and pivoting school-age 365 programming to provide virtual e-learning support.

Our History

We started with a Yes.

Throughout our history, we find a way to say Yes—such as serving more communities, adding programs for more ages, and even providing emergency child care services and pivoting programs to serve during strikes and pandemics.

Concordia Place continues to find a way to say “Yes” for the children, youth, and families it serves.

Here are a few milestones on our journey.

A Place for All

We welcome people from all backgrounds, regardless of faith, race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. We seek the common threads that bind us together as community, rather than differences that could divide us. We proactively meet the needs of those we serve by making our programs open and affordable for all.

A Place of Yes

At our core is a “Yes” mindset. This attitude drives us to meet growing and changing needs with innovative solutions. We find resources, turn possibilities into realities, and remain fresh and cutting edge.

A Place of Excellence

Excellence is a hallmark of who we are and is integral in everything we do, from program design to environment to everyday operations. We value leadership, results, and accountability. We leverage partnerships to achieve more than what is possible alone.

A Place of One

As Concordia Place grows and expands, opening new programs and locations in new communities, we operate cohesively as one organization. Though we come from different faiths, backgrounds and cultures, we are a team, a family, united by our mission and vision.

Faith in Action

We put our faith into action through service to all our neighbors, instilling in them a sense of community, purpose, and possibility. Rooted in the Gospel message of God’s grace for all people, we are inspired to share our gifts. Our faith is a lens through which we view and evaluate all our actions.

See what makes Concordia Place different

Providing opportunity. Growing the Future. Changing Lives.

Learn more