Friends' Home for Children (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Friends' Home for Children (later also known as "Friendly Acres") was established in 1881 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Hicksite Quakers. A residential facility for orphans and other children in need, it was intended to provide a homelike environment rather than the institutional setting more typical of the era.

The Home first was located on Germantown Avenue. In 1885, it was moved to Aspen Street. In 1947 the Home relocated to Secane, a suburb of Philadelphia, where the new facility was known as "Friendly Acres." In 1979, it was decided in 1979 to phase out the residential program, and the name was changed to Friendly Acres Community Services with its mission focused on community programs, such as day care and senior services. In 1988, Friendly Acres Community Services merged with the Community Y of Eastern Delaware County, another community service organization. With this merger, Friends' Home for Children and its successor, Friendly Acres Community Services, ceased to exist.