Having been a part of the Florence Caring Pregnancy Center since 2003, I am able to say first hand that this organization is making a difference in the lives of families in this community. It is a privilege to work with dedicated volunteers that give of their time to such a worthy cause. Our primary purpose is to offer pregnancy testing, prenatal information and parenting education. We also have a stork closet in which active clients (those participating in our education program) can shop for maternity and baby clothing as well as diapers and other miscellaneous baby items. All of our services are provided without charge to all clients. We are a pro-life ministry and our support comes from businesses, churches and individuals that care very deeply about the welfare of children and families. Margaret Getchell Executive Director
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Child Day Care, Children & Youth, Family Services, Family Services for Adolescent Parents, Human Services, Personal Social Services
Mission: Many of San Francisco's families desperately struggle to be self-sufficient. In this weakened economy, jobs are fewer, with diminished salaries, and often without health care benefits for the employee, let alone their family. Unemployment rates for the city & county remain high, hovering at almost 7% of the workforce. The Consumer Price Index and rate of inflation continue to gain steadily, stretching families' already tight budgets to the breaking point. Only 35% of San Franciscans own their homes; the median home price is well over $530,000, well out of reach of the majority of renting or leasing families (SF Center for Economic Development 2003). To top it off, the city faces a child care crisis: 80% of San Francisco's low-income families with infants and toddlers do not receive adequate child care, despite qualifying for a subsidy to cover its cost. More than 39,000 children are without licensed child care, forcing many parents to abandon their own career paths towards self-sufficiency in favor of staying home with their children (CA Child Care Referral & Resource Network 2001). Most families served by FCS make their homes in the southeast sector of San Francisco (Bayview/Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, OMI) and, secondarily, the Western Addition. All of these communities are historically and currently enclaves of African-American life and culture in the city. Unemployment rates for these areas far exceed those of the city as a whole: 16.5% as compared to 6.8% citywide (SF Department of Human Services 2000). The median income for both neighborhoods is 27% below that of the city as a whole (US Census 2000). The vast majority of residents possess low educational attainment and often have some work experience, but not the skills that will allow them to move beyond entry-level positions. 88% of FCS families qualify as "Very Low Income;" the remaining 12% are "Low Income" (US Census 2000). Florence Crittenton Services (FCS) employs a whole-systems approach to beating the odds and averting this mounting crisis. We believe that by supporting everyone in the family, children, youth and their parents, we can support families in building a better future for themselves. Our mission is Ending Poverty One Family at a Time.
Programs: FCS provides families with the integrated services that they need. Parents receive life-skills education and vocational training, placement & support as they advance in their careers. FCS also provides the comprehensive subsidized childcare services parents require to allow them to pursue their career paths. We also specialize in parent support services, fatherhood support and involvement, and youth empowerment & pregnancy prevention. FCS' Infant and Child Development Program began providing CA State Dept. of Education-subsidized licensed childcare in 1971 at our center in the Western Addition. In 2002, FCS expanded ICDP to a new center in Hayes Valley, located at the Hope VI low-income housing development. FCS has a contract with resident management regarding the operation of the childcare center; we're very excited about this unique, pioneering partnership! We support a network of 14 home daycare providers, the Family Child Care Network, who bring the FCS philosophy and practices to children in isolated and impoverished neighborhoods throughout San Francisco. Our 2 centers & FCCN annually serve over 100 children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. Our Peer Mentorship Collaboration provides professional development opportunities and community-building for childcare providers throughout San Francisco. In collaboration with the Citywide Asian Provider Network, Hispanic Provider Association, and African-American Provider Network, participants work in groups and one-on-one with experienced provider-mentors and receive language- and cultural-specific instruction and support. While we've always served San Francisco's most at-risk children, FCS' mission has always been to aid their parents with opportunities, support and hope. To that end, our Parent and Family Resource Center was founded in 1996 and provides educational, vocational and parenting training for young mothers and fathers to create healthy families and achieve self-sufficiency, primarily through the LEAP (Learning + Earning = Achievement + Power) vocational training and placement program. The twelve-week LEAP curriculum provides intensive instruction in administrative skills, life skills/job coaching, personal finance management, parenting & stress management and computer courses. LEAP has served over 100 parents since 1996 and a record-high 36 in 2005; upon successful completion, graduates are placed in full-time jobs or internships with California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco Airport, and Monroe Personnel Services. On average, past LEAP participants have seen their earned income jump from nothing or sporadic to regular income. Our Fatherhood Program works with fathers and male role models in a weekly support group setting to address personal goal-setting, legal and family issues, career planning and employment. The GYST (Get Your Stuff Together!) program is a teen pregnancy prevention and youth empowerment program at Ida B. Wells High School that annually helps approximately 70 disadvantaged students set goals and work towards their achievement. GYST has been a required piece of IBWs core curriculum since 2003. 54% of FCS' beneficiaries are African American/Black; 21% Hispanic/Latino; 16% Asian American; 6% White (non-Hispanic); and 3% Other. 47% are female; 53% male. 30% are pre-school age or younger; 16% teens; and 54% of our beneficiaries are parents.
Donor & Volunteer Advisory
This organization's nonprofit status may have been revoked or it may have merged with another organization or ceased operations.