During the Fall of 1955, a small group of parents began meeting with hopes to establish a school for their special needs children. Soon after, on April 16, 1956, Clearbrook was born when the doors of our first classroom opened. Designated as the "Rolling Meadows Community School for Retarded Children Council," we [Clearbrook] was originally housed in a barn before our first permanent building was acquired in 1961.

From these humble beginnings, Clearbrook has continued to grow and provide services to more than 3,300 children and adults with developmental disabilities

Today, Clearbrook:

• Serves nearly 80 communities in Chicago and surrounding suburbs.
• Provides services at more than 40 locations.
• Employs nearly 900 full- and part-time staff.
• Has just under 500 people on our waiting list for residential services.
• Spends more than 85% of our total expenses on programs and services.
• Is licensed, certified and/or accredited by the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Illinois Office of Rehabilitation Services, NISH and the Department of Labor.
• Receives only 70% of our funding from the government.

Information provided by Clearbrook. For more information, visit their website at www.clearbrook.org.