The Hyde Park Neighborhood Club was founded in 1909, when local community leaders banded together to create a safe place for boys (and, soon after, girls) to participate in productive, educational activities. With the support of the Juvenile Protective Association, HPNC began offering programs to children and families as an alternative to street violence, youth crime, and neglect.
Over the century, HPNC has continued to offer programs for youth and has become a major venue for hosting a variety of community events. Today, HPNC serves children aged 0-18 with their families and caretakers from Hyde Park, Kenwood and surrounding neighborhoods. We remain focused on inclusiveness and diversity and have an explicit goal of serving working families with our high-quality childcare and enrichment programs. We offer early childhood classes, an after-school program, a full-day summer camp, teen mentoring, athletic classes (basketball, roller derby, tumbling) and theater.
After over a hundred years of working with youth, we are approaching our next century with the vision of being a collaborative, well respected and sustainable organization and a premier provider and hub for high-quality, accessible youth programming serving Chicago's South Side.
