The Youth Development Center, originally known as the Cleveland Boys' School (also: Cleveland Boys' Farm, Cleveland Boys' Home, The City Farm School), was founded in Hudson, Ohio, in 1903 where delinquent boys were sent to be "rehabilitated" in a farm setting. In 1958, Cuyahoga County took control of the school and the name was changed to the Youth Development Center (YDC). Eventually a separate girls' facility was merged with the YDC. The YDC continued to operate as a co-educational facility offering social work, programs and counseling in substance abuse, medical services, psychological services, educational services, recreation, religious services, and a volunteer program. The center closed at the end of 2008 because the county felt that it was too expensive to maintain. In 2009, the city of Hudson purchased the 428 acre property. At this time, no plans for the use of the property and facilities have been made.

In 1998, Hudson residents Maxine Hobbs and Mel Hubbard founded Friends of YDC, a volunteer group that offered tutoring and other support services to the Youth Development Center. One of the primary purposes of the organization was to "encourage and promote literacy in individual students at the Youth Development Center through tutoring, reinforcing academic skills and fostering a love for learning." The group disbanded when the YDC closed. In September 2009, the group donated $6500 to the Hudson Library & Historical Society to continue to promote literacy.