Grounded in a century of service to families and fueled by a vision of a world in which all children thrive, 

The Cradle affirms its commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Our Beliefs

We believe every child is born with immeasurable potential. 

We believe every parent wants to meet their children’s unique needs and nurture their growth. 

We also recognize that circumstances, systems, and history often stand in the way, and that these forces 

create and perpetuate inequities and harmful outcomes.

Through the staff and workplace culture we build and support, through the services we develop and deliver, through the partnerships we cultivate and deepen—and in how we do all these things — The Cradle plays an important role in ensuring children, families, and communities in the Chicago metropolitan area are strong, healthy and have bright futures.

Our Beliefs in Action: Past, Present, and Future

Just as the world has changed significantly in the century since The Cradle was founded, so has The Cradle itself. Nothing reflects our evolution more than the families we serve. 

After exclusively placing white babies with white families for nearly three decades, The Cradle began placing children of color in 1950. Recognizing the need to give expectant parents of color a greater choice of adoptive families, in 1999 The Cradle launched The Ardythe and Gale Sayers Center for African American Adoption with a focus on adoptive parent recruitment in the African American community.

The Cradle was also an early supporter of LGBTQ+ adoption, having passed a board resolution in 2001 stating that LGBTQ+ couples and individuals should have equal opportunity to apply for adoption through The Cradle.

Reflecting on our values and the evolving needs in our community, we enter The Cradle’s second century of service deepening our commitment to serve diverse families, with a focus on those from under-resourced communities. The Cradle is channeling its expertise and resources to serve thousands more families in the coming decades — including families without a connection to adoption. While we remain committed to providing the highest quality adoption services to those who need them, we are growing services and expanding our reach to help keep biological families together and thriving.

As important as what we will do is how we will do it. The Cradle is committed to listening deeply to community partners and those with lived experience to shape our priorities and inform our practices. We are committed not only to recruiting a diverse and talented staff that reflects the families and communities we serve, but to creating the conditions for our team to grow and thrive. We are committed to fostering meaningful, trust-based relationships—with clients, colleagues, funders, and peer organizations. The work of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is complex and never ending. We promise to always be curious, open to feedback, and hungry to learn so that we can turn our growth into meaningful action that strengthens the families and communities we serve.