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About Saint Vincent’s Day Home

Saint Vincent’s Day Home was founded in 1911 in West Oakland to ensure that children of families with low incomes would be educated and nurtured and their parents empowered to meet family responsibilities. In the midst of one of Oakland’s most challenging environments, Saint Vincent’s Day Home stands out as an oasis of beauty and stability, offering support to the children and families it serves.

Founded by the Sisters of the Holy Family over a century ago, Saint Vincent’s Day Home is a non-sectarian, independent nonprofit, and is the oldest and largest Child Development Center in Alameda County. It remains in its original location, an 1863 Victorian home with expanded facilities on a campus of over an acre where the need has consistently been.

To date, some 40,000 children have graduated from Saint Vincent’s. Many of our alums have gone to seek higher education, improve their living circumstances, give back to the community, and welcome children of their own. At Saint Vincent’s, we believe that quality early childhood education lays the foundation for future success. Proud of our heritage and tradition, we are committed to serving 40,000 more children in the century to come.

Who Qualifies for Services

Enrollment at Saint Vincent’s is offered to those most in need. First priority is given to those who are houseless, protected by the court, or medically fragile. The next priority is children whose parents or caregivers are employed or in a school program leading to employment and are considered by lowest per‐capita income. Remaining priority is given children whose parents or caregivers are income eligible up to 115% of the State Median Income.

Critical Challenges

We have a long history of caring for children and providing a childhood experience that bears the hallmarks of a foundation for a successful adult life. Saint Vincent’s Day Home has always assisted children from economically challenged families. The secret to our success is helping children develop a strong identity and acclimate to a new culture and language lies in our ability to respond to their individual needs. Recognizing and addressing these critical challenges with immediate, focused intervention sets Saint Vincent’s Day Home apart from most other agencies educating young children. Children succeed in school and in life when they have a safe place in which to experience diverse activities that help them develop a positive self‐concept along with sound intellectual and social skills. This is the cornerstone of Saint Vincent’s educational programs.

Exceptional Programs

In order for children to succeed, certain factors must be present, which Saint Vincent’s strives to provide:

  • A calm, safe learning environment
  • Caregivers develop secure attachments with their children
  • Good nutrition and adequate health care
  • Focused intervention
  • High-quality, individualized teaching

Our Objectives

Saint Vincent’s primary goals are to impart to every child a love of reading and learning, a sense of confidence and compassion, sound social skills, and healthy physical development. Teachers employ a finely honed curriculum, benchmarks to be reached through daily lesson plans, and daily journaling on each child that charts individual progress toward goals and documents health and behavioral factors important to the child’s success. Families learn to encourage intellectual and language development, teach healthy lifestyle habits, and facilitate a pathway to existing support services – serving to educate and support the whole child and provide a framework for a healthy, productive life.

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