The Family School's founders recognized the untapped potential in young families who were struggling to break the cycle of poverty. In 1986, The Family School opened its doors in a modest setting in the back of a church rectory building in the Western Addition neighborhood of San Francisco. The Family School served approximately 25 families a year through high quality childcare for children and GED preparation, life skills and parenting classes for their parents.

Today, The Family School has grown to serve more than 250 children, youth and families annually through a comprehensive suite of programs which include employment training and job placement, education and support services.

Throughout all of this growth, The Family School has never lost sight of the individual needs of the family. The agency has managed to stay intimate, even while serving hundreds of children, youth and families. Graduates and program participants leave The Family School with a new level of confidence, ready to enter the workforce. Their communities are enriched; their children experience school success; and, their lives are changed forever.

Highlights of The Family School's development over the past 17 years are listed below:

The Family School introduced "Our Fathers Being Responsible." Since that program began, more than 150 fathers have completed the program and have begun to support their children emotionally and financially.

The Family School began provided services to youth as as YO! San Francisco service provider. This program breaks the cycle of poverty in San Francisco's low income neighborhoods through education, youth leadership training, job training and support.

The Family School expanded to a second site in a new family housing development in the Mission/ Bernal communities. This second site features a beautiful new child development center licensed for 36 infants, toddlers and preschool aged children, large, well-equipped training rooms for STRIVE and a state-of-the-art computer lab.
The Family School partnered with the nationally recognized STRIVE employment training program. STRIVE allowed The Family School to begin to offer services to men, fathers and youth. STRIVE's high expectations and accountability prepare participants for employment -- and for greater success in other areas of their lives as well. More than 215 program graduates have been placed in employment since the program began.

The Family School introduced its first employment program, "Careers with Children." More than 100 recipients of public assistance were trained and placed into entry level child care positions. For most of these graduates, this was their first experience with a college course and this entry level training set the stage for a lifetime commitment to professional development. This highly successful program served as a model for other programs that prepare low income individuals for careers in child development.