HISTORY
Early Years
The work of The Children's Home of Pittsburgh began in 1893 as The Pennsylvania Children's Home Society. The organization was founded to care for orphaned children and place them in permanent homes. In the late 1800s, many similar institutions were established in Pittsburgh to house large numbers of homeless children, the result of difficult economic times.
The first Children's Home was located on Penn Avenue in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, and due to a fire was moved to Potter Street in Shadyside shortly thereafter. In 1912, the home moved to Pennwood Steet in Edgewood, a suburban Pittsburgh neighborhood.
In 1935, the Society moved from Pennwood Street in Edgewood to South Aiken Avenue in Shadyside and officially became The Children's Home of Pittsburgh. In March of 1969, the organization moved to a custom-built Colonial at 5618 Kentucky Avenue in Shadyside.
Adding to the Continuum of Care
In the 1980s and 1990s, The Children's Home of Pittsburgh added two distinct, innovative medical programs with the purpose of furthering the continuum of care for children. The Pediatric Specialty Hospital formerly T.I.C. hospital opened in 1984 to provide a new model of sub-acute care for infants and their families. In 1998, Child’s Way was established as yet another model of alternative care for pediatric patients – a Pediatric Extended Care Center (PECC). The Children's Home’s Chief Executive Officer, Pamela R. Schanwald, R.N., M.H.S.A., was the catalyst for the creation of Child’s Way. Modeling the program on PECC programs in other states, she led the legislative efforts to obtain Pennsylvania state licensure and, in 1999, Senate Bill 670 became Act 54, enabling Child’s Way to become the first licensed PECC in the state of Pennsylvania.
Building Pathways to Growth
Demand for The Children's Home of Pittsburgh's unique programs continued to grow over the years. The "Building Pathways to Growth" building project and capital campaign were developed to expand our services and continue meeting the community's needs. The Children's Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center opened in April 2007 in a new facility at 5324 Penn Avenue in Friendship. This facility provides greatly enhanced capacity and capabilities for Adoption, Child's Way, and our Pediatric Specialty Hospital units, Pediatric Specialty Hospital formerly T.I.C. and the new Transitional Pediatric Care (T.P.C.) unit.
After more than a century of service, The Children's Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center is continuing the organization's mission to promote the health and well-being of infants and children through services which establish and strengthen the family.