In the late 1800s, leaders in the Episcopal Church saw the need to serve North Carolina's orphans. This vision led to the creation of the Thompson Orphanage, which opened its doors in 1886 on the outskirts of the ever-expanding area of uptown Charlotte. After nurturing children at this location for more than 75 years, plans were announced to move Thompson to its current 40-acre location just outside the Charlotte city limits. The name was changed to Thompson Children's Home in the 1970s, and the agency began evolving to provide full service clinical and behavioral care for children. In 2005, the name was changed to Thompson Child & Family Focus to better reflect the wide range of services provided.

The needs Thompson addresses now are much different from those in 1886. Today, dedicated staff pours love and expertise into caring for children and families that society treats as invisible. Each year, over 300 children benefit from Thompson's continuum of care. Our top priorities are to give young people and their parents the necessary tools to ensure stability and, when possible, to keep families together.

Throughout more than a century of change and growth, Thompson's original mission remains-to serve children and families through healing, teaching, worship and play.