Based on decades of experience and informed by research about the range of wraparound supports that strengthen families and children, FACES SF’s whole-family, whole-child model includes four interconnected program areas: early childhood development (ages 0–5), elementary-age enrichment (TK–6th grade), family support, and workforce development. To realize this vision, we intentionally focus on San Francisco families who face economic and educational barriers due to systemic inequities, especially racism and classism. To influence system-level change, we also collaborate and advocate alongside nonprofits, community members, SFUSD, and government agencies to build stronger, more equitable family support systems across San Francisco.
Where We Work
We currently work from four sites throughout San Francisco, in addition to managing a network of nearly 40 home-based childcare providers throughout the city. The four main sites are:
- Bayview (Whitney Young Circle), where we have an early childhood program and extended-day and camp program serving 80 0- 5 and 50-75 6-12 year olds
- Haight Ashbury (Page & Masonic), where we have both our administrative offices and the Masonic early childhood program with four classrooms.
- Hayes Valley (Buchanan and Haight), which has two infant and toddler classrooms
- Visitacion Valley (1099 Sunnydale) where we offer workforce development and other community services
Our Values
We recognize how we work is just as important as what we do. We are committed to:
Centering Families: Developing trusting and authentic partnerships and holding families’ strengths, needs, and experience at the center of our work.
Building Inclusive Communities: Cultivating vibrant communities, where people from diverse backgrounds build strong connections and feel a sense of belonging.
Always Learning: Enhancing our model based on program data, research, and community input to ensure impactful and quality services for families.
Our Legacy
FACES SF is an institution with more than 10 years of serving San Francisco’s most disadvantaged children and families. We represent the combined legacies of Florence Crittenton Services and the Whitney Young Child Development Center — two longstanding San Francisco non-profits. We proudly continue to provide their critical services today.
Florence Crittenton Services
Charles N. Crittenton established Florence Crittenton Services (FCS) in 1882 after the death of his daughter, Florence, to scarlet fever. Though a tragic beginning, FCS established an invaluable service providing crucial and tangible support to women across the United States. In 1890, Crittenton founded a FCS home in San Francisco. This aid offered by FCS has evolved with the needs of women over time. At its conception, FCS predominantly focused on the ‘redemption’ of women who had children out of marriage. As society evolved FCS adjusted its emphasis and by the 1960s the Florence Crittenton Mission worked with teenage mothers studying trends in unplanned and adolescent pregnancies. By 2004, FCS in San Francisco provided a wide variety of services including childcare, job development, family services and referrals. FACES SF remains part of the National Crittenton Family of Agencies.
Whitney Young Child Development Center
The Whitney Young Child Development Center (WYCDC) was established in 1953. Originally known as the Christian Welfare Society, it was founded by Rosie Lee Williams, a local San Franciscan who recognized the need for greater support in the Bayview Hunters Point area for low-income families. The center provided licensed, full-day childcare for toddlers and preschool children of working parents, and half-day enrichment for K-6th graders. In 1977, under the leadership of Careth B. Reid, the organization changed its name to the Whitney Young Child Development Center. The WYCDC developed a reputation for providing excellent child care and a stellar education, with specialists, artists, and therapists on staff. In 1999, WYCDC expanded and moved into the ‘Mansion’ in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood to provide more families with comprehensive child development services.
