Agency Mission: Ending Poverty One Family at a Time.

FCS provides San Francisco's needy families with the services they need including: life-skills education and vocational training, placement & support services as they advance in their careers, comprehensive subsidized child care services, parent support services, fatherhood support services, and youth empowerment & pregnancy prevention programs.

Description:
FCS achieves its mission through its comprehensive programs and services. Florence Crittenton Services has four program components (Child Care, Parent & Family Resources, Job Training and Youth Programs). Within each of these components, we offer multiple programs. Most importantly, these services are designed to provide a comprehensive approach to poverty eradication and to help ensure that parents become financially self-sufficient and able to provide for themselves and their families.

The service components include:

1. Child Care - For more than 25 years, Crittenton Childcare has provided licensed, subsidized child care. Two locations - one in the Western Addition and another at the Hope VI low-income housing project in Hayes Valley - serve 80 infants and young children every year. In the coming year, the agency intends to increase services in Bayview-Hunters Point. These expansion plans include a capital campaign for an upgraded or new facility at 1030 Oakdale; and broadening the program to include a preschool component. These steps are part of evolving efforts to offer the most up-to-date and effective support to families in need. Moreover, by working with the Family Child Care Network, the program shares its philosophy and experience through 17 home-based child-care providers. Crittenton Childcare is highly effective, as demonstrated by the continued success of child and parent participants. Last year, FCS allocated roughly $10,500 per child for food and nutrition, educational support and supplies, and boasted a remarkable 3 to 1 child/caregiver ratio.
   
   
2. Parent & Family Resources include the newly created Parent University, which is a partnership with Edgewood Centers and the City of San Francisco’s Communities of Opportunities Program. The Parent University teaches parents age-appropriate parenting skills and provides parents with resources. Started in 2004, the unique and innovative Fatherhood Program adopts a holistic approach to fathers and children. In collaboration with Child Support Services and Family Court, the program reaches out to low-income, custodial and non-custodial fathers of all ethnicities, helping them appreciate the vital roles they play in the emotional and financial lives of their children. The program's centerpiece is a weekly Peer Support Group that develops parenting and life skills, and strengthens anger management/emotional literacy. The program includes Forgiveness Workshops and a Rite of Passage Ceremony. Meanwhile, FCS also provides father-child activities, legal assistance, career-planning and job placement through Crittenton Jobs.
   
   
3. Job Training consists of “Crittenton Jobs” (CJ), a 12-week sector-specific, vocational skills and job placement program that teaches skills to attain employment while addressing employment barriers. One of four basic FCS program components, CJ is a part of a comprehensive approach to eradicating poverty. It provides parents basic skills necessary for gainful, long-term employment. CJ has six components: Recruitment, Assessment, Job Readiness Training, Internship/Job Placement, Case Management and Evaluation. The core curriculum includes information technology and business etiquette classes. The program also addresses personal barriers (commonly known as “soft skills”) to the job market.
   
   
4. Youth Programs primarily consist of Crittenton Teens. The program is located at Ida B. Wells Continuation High School, Crittenton Teens offers information about academics and GPA improvement, along with goal-setting and planning. The academic program component is vital because only a reported 5% of IBW students - versus a city-wide average of 54% - take courses that qualify them for admission into the UC or Cal State University systems. In addition to classroom skills, the program teaches personal health; sexuality and delayed pregnancy/fatherhood; job skills; and financial independence. Essentially, youngsters are coached on how to create positive life patterns and are empowered to take charge of their lives.



History:
In 1889, philanthropist Charles Nelson Crittenton set out across the United States to found a family of homes that served women who were facing child-bearing alone. These homes were all named in honor of his own infant daughter Florence. Finding a similar institution already in existence in San Francisco (incredibly rare in those days!), he reincorporated the Pacific Rescue Mission as the Florence Crittenton Home. The Home's services evolved over the next 119 years in order to serve the needs of San Francisco's most needy families. In 1971, we opened the first of many Infant and Child Development Program child care centers. In 1973, to reflect the more comprehensive scope of the agency's services, the name of the agency was officially changed from the Florence Crittenton Home to Florence Crittenton Services..


Contact people:


Brian Johns, Marketing Director, (phone), (email) Carol A. Larson, Director of Administration, (phone), (email) Margaret Jerene, Executive Director


Main office number: (415) 567-2357
Office fax number: (415) 567-2476

Address:


840 Broderick Street San Francisco, CA 94115 (See a map)


Web Site: http://www.fcs-sf.org

Directions:

Florence Crittenton Services is located in the Western Addition, between McAllister Street and Golden Gate Avenue. The #5 Fulton bus stops at the corner of McAlister and Broderick - proceed north (up a small hill) 1/2 block.   Nearest Bus Stop: #5 Fulton, 2 minute walk

Miscellaneous Information

Besides English, which languages are spoken at your agency?
	Cantonese, Farsi, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese
What is the minimum age for volunteers at your agency?
	Minors with adult guardians
Is your agency wheelchair accessible?
	No
Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 10?
	No
Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 20?
	No

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