(Photo of St. Vincent Center for Children and Families, Evansville, IN, used with permission of the Daughters of Charity Provincial Archives)
The St. Vincent Center for Children and Families, located in Evansville, IN, is a not-for-profit agency under the sponsorship of the Daughters of Charity. The Center has a long history of service to families, parents, children and to the civic community that dates back to the time of World War I. At that time, 1918, women were called upon to assume roles in industry to replace men who had been called to military service. Mothers needed a safe and affordable place for their children to stay while they were at work. The Ladies of Charity of Evansville responded to this need by establishing St. Vincent’s Day Nursery. Within a few months, the Ladies of Charity were unable to accommodate the numbers needing day care. They appealed to the Daughters of Charity at St. Mary’s Hospital to assume the administration of the Center.
The need for day care has grown through the years. In many families, both parents work outside the home. The number of single-parent households contributes to the increasing need for childcare. Over the years, St. Vincent’s has remained faithful to its original purpose of providing care for children while their parents work or further their education. St. Vincent’s strives to provide a safe, happy, drug-free and smoke-free environment to enhance the growth and development of children.
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