Sisters of the Holy Family

The Sisters began to expand the much-needed ministry and investigated the concept of Kindergarten. In addition to maintaining and supporting the families of the poor, they could also prepare the children to successfully enter the school system.

August 24, 1884, four Sisters completed the fully accredited Kindergarten teachers' class in instructional techniques and received their certificates from Golden Gate Kindergarten, which pioneered Kindergarten education on the Pacific Coast.

Dec. 15, 1880 Concert Program

The day homes were supported by the small fees paid by parents, begging tours of the Sisters and by entertainment and lectures given for the benefit of the homes.

By 1900 there were three flourishing day homes: St. Francis in North Beach; Sacred Heart in the area of the present Civic Center; and Holy Family at 6^th and Brannan Streets.The homes cared for children from ages two to seventeen and from various ethnic and religious backgrounds.

 1906 Washington Sq. Refugee Tent

Although the great earthquake and fire of 1906 destroyed all the day homes of the Sisters of the Holy Family, the Sisters went immediately to the city parks to set up tents where the work of day care and family support could be continued. As soon as possible, a temporary day home was established in an unburned Hayes Street building purchased and refurbished for the purpose. It remained in operation for about ten years.

The day home ministry then branched out into what was distant Oakland and San Jose with the opening of St. Vincent's and St. Elizabeth's Day Homes. In San Francisco two large day homes were built in the Mission District and in North Beach.

1929 St. Elizabeth's Day Home Kindergarten

In 1923 another major shift in the ministry began. The Community Chest came into existence and began to partially subsidize the Homes. Of the approximately 150 children cared for in each home, 110 were paying no fee at all. Community Chest noted that the Homes could keep costs down due to the small salaries claimed by religious. With public funding available, the Sisters were no longer obliged to beg for food and supplies for the Homes. Also, with this funding came a need for greater awareness of public responsibility and accountability for receipts and expenditures, inspections and reports.

By 1933 a nurse from Public Health was coming weekly to the homes to check the children over and a physician arrived once every three to four months to examine each child.

1940s St. Elizabeth Day Home on Vine Street

1946 Community Chest Parade, San Jose, CA

Through the next several decades the changes that affected the Homes were largely those of staffing. Some adjustments were made to budgeting and the age of the children cared for, probably a direct result of Community Chest observations. Community Chest paid about 25% of the Homes' operating costs. The social worker offered family counseling services.

Day homes or kindergartens were opened in Fresno and Redding, California; Reno, Las Vegas and Gardnerville, Nevada; in Helper and Tooele, Utah.

Miss Cashman at Holy Family Day Home, 1958

1942 Nursery School Halloween Party, Redding

1963 Sr. Lorraine Duck's Kindergarten Class

By the 1970s and 1980s the day home ministry was becoming an outreach program with hours spent in visitations to family homes, large lay staffs, and fewer Sisters in the day homes. The Sisters went out to develop and set up day care in places where we could not commit personnel for long periods of time: Juneau, Alaska; Redwood City,California and an infant care center in Menlo Park, California. The Sisters published materials to assist parents and teachers of young children to deal with the faith and development questions affecting preschool youngsters. Day Home Advisory Boards began to develop and in-service training for lay and religious staff members becomes an ordinary part of the day home experience. Parent newsletters, and meetings became a staple of day home involvement and various studies were contracted to evaluate and improve the quality of care and the impact of services in the Homes. The Sisters became involved in other civic community boards and committees, and were supportive of legislation benefiting childcare and families, especially poor families.

In the 1990s, we initiated a new model of involvement in early childhood education, that of Sponsored Ministries. Currently we sponsor Holy Family Day Home in San Francisco and St. Elizabeth's Day Home in San Jose. St. Vincent's Day Home in Oakland continues to serve families and children and is separately incorporated. Callison Day Home in Fremont is now owned and operated by Montessori school; and Variety Day Home in Las Vegas has a Sister teaching Kindergarten.

May 1967 Sr. Antoinette Brown's Class

Sr. Judith Silva & Sr. Mark's Class, Utah

In celebrating the achievement of the day home ministry, we begin once more to respond to the challenge of our own times to claim the moment for the Kingdom and make the pioneering spirit of Holy Family's founders our own.