Have a Happy New Year from SOMACC
Dear Friend of SOMACC,
The end of 2011 at South of Market Child Care means watching a new group of children inch closer to kindergarten, confident and prepared. This year, I want to tell you about one of our students in particular.
Bryan is four years old, he’s the middle child and a big fan of trains. He joined the SOMACC family in 2010 and will go off to kindergarten next fall. Bryan, along with 70% of our students, comes from a low-income family that receives financial support from the state and SOMACC so he can attend a safe school.
This year, Bryan needed more. He was showing signs that key emotional and social skills were taking longer to develop than they were for his peers. Bryan needed professional evaluation and he needed it fast, before entering kindergarten where many obstacles stand in the way of receiving this kind of help. Because of the support of the community, we were able to provide the family with the professional help to evaluate Bryan’s needs within days. Now we know exactly what his needs are and can better address them in the classroom and at home. Bryan is now on track for a bright and healthy future.
Bryan is just one of the 140 babies, toddlers and preschoolers that we serve at our two child development centers, where children from diverse backgrounds learn from each other every day. And when any family in the community needs extra help, our Family Resource Center provides them with free support such as parenting workshops, emergency basic needs and domestic violence counseling. The FRC serves more than 1,000 individuals every year and gives them the tools to help themselves. In the words of a workshop participant, “It is beautiful to have the support of a group of parents listening to me when I need help.”
I take pride in our 41-year history with San Francisco and in our local and national recognition, but most of all in the individuals that share our mission to strengthen the community by serving its families and children. And when they need more in these difficult times, we want to continue to give more. I know that many families are struggling to make ends meet, and it’s no secret that non-profits and especially schools are getting less funding in this economy. But that only makes our work that much more important. Quality early education is proven to provide children, especially low-income children, with social, educational, emotional and economic benefits that prepare them for success in school and in life.
- $50 puts 7 new picture books into the hands of children
- $100 provides 16 children with a healthy and substantial breakfast for one week
- $250 helps a family in urgent financial distress with a one-month partial tuition scholarship
- $500 sustains infants with milk and formula for 3 months
- $750 provides comprehensive parenting support and training to 10 socially isolated families
- $1,000 enables us to continue to offer outstanding early education and support programs
You can improve a child’s entire life. I invite you to make a year-end financial contribution of any size as an investment in these children and in our community. Please give, and if you can, give more.
Thank you,
Noushin Mofakham
Executive Director
Quality Toys for Quality Education
With winter holidays quickly approaching, chances are there are some people expecting gifts from you. This holiday season, SOMACC is partnering with The Ark Toy Store, a family-owned toy store with two San Francisco locations, so that you can do some holiday shopping while supporting SOMACC at no extra cost! Ten percent (minus tax) of all purchases made in the name of South of Market Child Care during the week of Sunday, November 6 though Saturday, November 12 will be donated directly to SOMACC! All you have to do is mention us when making your purchase so the cashier can print our name on your receipt, then just bring the receipt to the SOMACC office on Folsom Street.
The Ark is known for its quality toys (we even use some in our classrooms), and this is a great way to support local business and SOMACC at the same time. This is one week only, so help us spread the word - you don't have to be affiliated with SOMACC for the store to make a donation, but you do have to mention us. Thank you in advance for supporting quality early childhood education, and happy holidays!
Thank You for Supporting the Arts at YBGCDC!
The first ever SOMACC art exhibition was a huge success thanks to the hard work of our students, teachers, staff and all the family and friends that came out and showed their support.
The Center was packed with children eager to show their families their colorful, imaginative creations that lined the walls and hung around the outdoor play area. From carousel exploration to experimenting with self-portraits, the children of YBGCDC successfully brought out the artists within each and every one of them.
Thank you again for spending such a beautiful Saturday afternoon with us and for all of the donations that will help fund future projects! In case you weren't able to make it, you can still catch (and even purchase) the artwork that's still on display at the YBGCDC location. But hurry before the MOMA comes knocking on our door for these amazing pieces from San Francisco's next big group of artists!
"A Garden School in an Urban Setting"
Join the children of our Yerba Buena Gardens site on Saturday, September 17 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. for an extraordinary art exhibition!
Children and teachers have collaborated for a year on creating art that explores and celebrates our school and its neighborhood. Will have a collection of beautiful artwork on display and for sale.
All are welcome. Please RSVP to somacc.exhibit@gmail.com
The exhibition is supported by the generosity of the Yerba Buena Community Benefit District and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
It's Graduation Time!
On Friday, July 22 and Friday, July 29, some 50 children graduated to elementary school from our two child development centers. We are excited to see our graduates take the next big step in their education and in life and would like to thank all teachers, staff, and parents who are working tirelessly with all the children at our centers to make graduation a success!
Spring News
Spring Festival at the YBGCDC
A big thank you to all our supporters!
On Saturday, May 21, a Spring Festival at our Yerba Buena Gardens Child Development Center brought together our families, friends, colleagues and community partners for entertainment, food and a raffle to raise funds for parent-supported programs such as music, staff recognition, and classroom supplies.
We are very grateful to these generous prize donors in our community, who together with our volunteers, staff, attendees and ticket buyers, helped us raise more than $10,000!
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
Jeffrey's Toys
Salsalito Taco Shop
The Ark toy store
Westin San Francisco Market Street
New community partnership programs
Since starting a community donation program with Whole Foods in the fall, we've expanded our partnerships with local businesses. Buy Whole Foods gift cards from us, and you will automatically be making a donation at no additional cost! Whole Foods donates 4% of each gift card's face value to us. Shop at Safeway, FoodsCo, Jamba Juice, and SOMACC will receive direct donations from these merchants.
Mention South of Market Child Care every time you shop at Cole Hardware, and Cole Hardware will donate us 10% of the value of the total SOMACC customers' purchases in store credit!
And save the dates of Nov. 6 to Nov. 12, 2011 to shop at The Ark, a local family-run toy store. 10% (minus tax) of the total purchases made by friends of SOMACC that week will come back to us as a donation!
A big thank you to our friends and supporters at these stores!
New Grant Support
We are thrilled to report that a new funder has awarded our Yerba Buena Gardens Child Development Center a grant to refurbish playground safety matting and infant classroom flooring. We are so grateful for this support, which will allow us make needed improvements to facilities for the children and families we serve.
New Community Meetings, Classes, and Programs
The FRC will offer several new programs this spring:
- Una serie de talleres acerca de nutricion: Los sigiuentes jueves a SOMA FRC, 790 Calle Folsom (esquina de calle 4) a las 5:30P. Presentado por Dina Castellon, U.C. Davis Extension, con fondos de HSA, DCYF y Primeros 5. (Nutrition workshops in Spanish are offered Thursdays in the FRC at 5:30 p.m.)
- A parenting group in Spanish, "Effects of Domestic and Community Violence on Children," will be offered every Monday starting April 25 and running through June 20.
A Successful Holiday Campaign!
A big thank you to everyone who supported SOMACC with gifts during our annual holiday campaign! The generosity of our donors provides direct support to children and families in our community -- and while the holidays are over, SOMACC always welcomes financial contributions. Gifts made to our organization help us continue to serve families by bridging the funding gap between our tuition fees and the actual cost of providing affordable, quality educational programs.
We now accept credit card donations when made over the phone or by mail. Please see our donation page for more information.